The mysterious ginger tom either was keeping out of their territory or kept his head very low, for no signs of him were found in the coming days. Not even a whiff of strange scent. The clan relaxed some. The kit that had been found had fostered successfully onto Wekadash, nursing alongside the larger Boarkit like he had always been there. With his brown tabby coat, he even looked like he belonged to her. Dappledpaw had noticed Kowhaifall going and checking in on him several times. And she had also noticed Rowanpaw watching her the same. He still refused to give up his line of thinking, which frustrated her, but she wasn't going to let him ruin her good mood.
Her good mood because finally, finally, Icestar was running their warrior assessments again. Rowanpaw, despite being a moon younger, was having his too. Icestar seemed to think he was ready, and had explained the need for warriors now more than ever. Rowanpw would probably fail his hunting assessment though, she thought smugly. Even having one of the best hunters in the clan as his mentor couldn't fix his glaring flaw as a warrior.
The day prior, Icestar had called all three apprentices together, impressing upon them how important it was that they passed; that he was proud of their progress in training. Towards Rowanpaw and herself in particular, he told them how impressed he was with their battle skills, that they would be important in the coming months as he foresaw conflict with the other clans. He even took her aside, just to tell her he was expecting great things from her especially, as his own apprentice who he had worked hard to train, and as a cat he saw massive potential in. She couldn't afford to let him down.
Icestar woke them all at dawn. "It's going to be very hot today if it was anything like yesterday, we need to start." Sedgepaw took a little extra rousing (Rowanpaw kicked him until he woke up properly), but the three of them were soon out stretching their limbs. "Eat." Icestar barked at them from across camp, where he was sitting talking to Kowhaifall, Weedfur, and Sorrelwind.
"I feel like I'm going to throw up." Sedgepaw croaked, looking at the mouse Dappledpaw had bought from the fresh-kill pile.
"Eat it." Rowanpaw mumbled unsympathetically through a mouthful of his own sparrow.
"You'll need your strength today." Dappledpaw offered more kindly. She could understand how her brother was feeling. Her stomach was doing nervous backflips. Still, she was excited as well. She was going to be a warrior by the end of the day, she knew it. This time for sure.
Sedgepaw clearly had similar feelings, though for different reasons. "I don't want to do this again… One more time and I will age years. My heart can't take it."
"Relax. We'll pass this time. Flaxclan won't come crawling over our border to cause trouble again after those fleabitten rouges kicked their butts." Dappledpaw reassured him again, giving him a little bump with her shoulder. "Now hurry up and eat."
Once meals were sitting awkwardly in bellies, Icestar and the other mentors approached to discuss the plan. "This morning you will all be hunting, and I want to see mock patrol protocols along the way." Icestar instructed. "Dappledpaw, you will be taking the southern border; follow the verge of the thunderpath from one side to the other; you may choose the direction. Be careful on the Flaxclan border edge; if you see anything of concern do not investigate on your own. Sedgepaw; the Fernclan border; follow the river from camp. Rowanpaw, you will take our northern border along the cliffline. Start by the Fernclan border edge then follow all the way to the Flaxclan side. You have until the sun is at its peak. Once you have completed your hunts, your observers will help you bring any prey caught back to the clan. In the afternoon once the day has cooled, we will have mock battles to evaluate your combat skills." He looked to each apprentice in turn, shrewd orange eyes resting on each a moment, before resting on Dappledpaw. "Any questions?"
"No sir!" Three voices rang out.
"Then go." He jerked his head, and all three apprentices turned on their heels and dashed out of camp. They would be racing the heat of midday, and had a lot of ground to cover before then. This was a test of their skills, and their stamina.
"Good luck." Sedgepaw offered over his shoulder as he and Dappledpaw paused at the camp entrance. Rowanpaw only grunted as he vanished through the gorse scrub, heading directly north. "Charming, truly. He's going to land all the she-cats." With a little laugh to himself, he and Dappledpaw exchanged a flick of tails, then set off in different directions.
Dappledpaw could have gone with him to the Fernclan border then headed south, but she decided she didn't want the observers to think she was cheating somehow by being with him on the way to her area. She would start from the Flaxclan side. This meant she had a long way to go before she could start hunting, but that was fine. It gave her time to think, to strategize...
She would be hunting pretty much exclusively in the fields. This meant she was going to have to be even more careful about soft steps and staying hidden. Catching prey feeding on the seeding grasses unaware, probably mostly small birds. Maybe if she was lucky a rabbit might be out feeding. This time of the year such big prey was a boon to bring back to the clan. Her mother and Wekadash would appreciate it to help produce milk to feed their kits…
Once she reached the far southeastern corner of Gorseclan territory, a stand of pine trees within view of the thunderpath; it's steady thrum caused by passing monsters irritating her ears. The sun was fully up in the sky now, hanging low over the ocean in the far distance; it had taken her some time to get all the way down here. She took the chance to both rest her paws a moment in the shade, and sniff around. This was their most distant border with Flaxclan from their camp. The dawn patrol might not have even made it this far yet, and sure enough their scent markers were old; from the day before. She was quick to refresh them, and looked around a bit, sniffing with ears on a swivel. There was no sign of the mystery rogue or Flaxclan having been down here at all. Even their border markers were several days old. Patrols had been reporting back that they were being slack on their markers since they were attacked. It really must have been bad. That or it was enough to have them be less worried about Gorseclan.
Satisfied she had done enough until the real patrol came by, she started on her trot along the southern border. It was going to be annoying to have to listen to the thunderpath the entire way, but it was just one more obstacle to overcome… Having said that, the noise would disguise her to a point. She could use it to her advantage, as long as she kept an eye on the wind. With all the long grass everywhere, that was simple enough. She just had to stay focused…
The farmers' cattle were down this way. She watched them for a moment; large, mostly black beasts, though some sported piebald or brown coats. Unlike the woollen sheep, these animals were far larger, and far more dangerous if one decided to take a dislike to you. These ones were happily grazing; they hadn't noticed her. She intended to keep it that way until she was out of this paddock, but the fence was quite far away. Maybe she should avoid hunting for now? She wondered what her observers would weigh up… Her being cautious and thinking of her own safety, or following her mission objective? She decided to keep to the edges, as far from them as possible, and see what opportunities presented themselves. Go from there.
As it turned out, the cattlebeasts ignored her. She managed to catch two greenfinches in the same flock; pouncing on the first as it pecked at the ground, then smacking the second out of the air as it took off. With a satisfied purr, she covered them up to be collected later.
A mouse, a sparrow and a starling later, and she was feeling quite proud of herself. She was about halfway along her route; the green mountains that towered over Fernclan's land loomed large ahead. She was looking forward to getting to the river. It was already scorching, and the grasslands had no shade on offer. Panting, she took advantage of a small rise in the land to look out over the paddocks and see if there was any other opportunity on offer. Most of the animals were done with their early morning feeding now.
But, what was that? Her pupils contracted as they picked up movement, focusing on it. There! There was a rabbit! It wasn't eating, but digging a scrape, perhaps testing the ground for a new burrow. It was late in the morning for it to be out, but Dappledpaw wasn't going to question the reason why. A stupid rabbit being stupid, who cares? This was exactly what she was hoping for! She'd praise Starclan if she thought they'd had anything to do with it.
Now she just had to catch it… Sinking down low, she shuffled off the mound and into the dry grass. While not as perfectly camouflaged as a lightly coloured tabby would be, her dilute tortoiseshell coat did offer some cover. She just needed to stay quiet and downwind. The rabbit's hearing was good, and so she moved painstakingly slowly, each foot lifted and placed with utmost care. She couldn't afford to even knock over a pebble. She got into position, judging the distance. She needed to be precise. Too far and her pounce won't reach easily. She needed to catch and pin the rabbit in one smooth motion, or there was too great a risk of it's escape. One couldn't go fumbling your grip on such prey. Her pupils contracted. Her shoulders wiggled and her muscles tenses as she readied her pounce... And then she launched herself forward with a powerful push of her hindquarters.
The rabbit she started dragging back to camp moments later would be a fine prize to show off for her assessment indeed. The smaller prey items could wait.
By the time Dappledpaw returned to camp, her sides were heaving with both the effort of dragging the large kill, and the heat of the day. Her paws ached from the huge amount of ground she had covered. Nearly there… The large rock formation where camp was hidden was in sight, sheltered by a few small scrubland trees and nestled in bunches of gorse and broom; both dotted in heavy yellow bloom. She was looking forward to flopping down in the shade, after a long drink of course!
In her moment to pause, panting in the heat after dropping the rabbit for a moment, her ears picked up the sound of pawsteps. Heavy, dragging steps. Her ears twitched, angling as her head followed in swivel towards the source of the sound. When she saw what was the cause, her mouth fell open in shock.
Rowanpaw appeared out of the scrub, his feet dragging in the dust. His head hung low, shoulders flexing with each awkward step as he pulled along the heavy burden in his jaws.
"Rowanpaw, what…?" Dappledpaw gasped as he paused for a moment. If she had felt exhausted getting here, Rowanpaw was the picture of it. She could see the outline of his ribs through his pelt as he heaved in air through his nose, ears flat, tail limp against the ground. Now standing still, she could see every limb trembling. She looked down at the state of what he had been carrying in his jaws.
Kowhaifall's beautiful red and white pelt was unkempt from being dragged; dirty and collecting the odd twig and leaf. She was entirely limp, her limbs askew. Her head was being held up; Rowanpaw's teeth keeping hold of her scruff. Drying blood adorned her skull. Dappledpaw couldn't look in detail any longer. "...What happened?" She asked her fellow apprentice hollowly. Rowanpaw's bowed head finally, achingly, looked upwards; his green eyes met hers, and they were empty and glazed. A huffing noise escaped him, and then, suddenly, he fell over.
"Rowanpaw!" She crossed the short distance to the forms of her two clanmates. Gently, she nudged the red tom's side. He was breathing rapidly, but seemed to have lost consciousness. Longfang… He needed Longfang. Dappledpaw whirled around on her heels and raced the rest of the way to camp. She burst through the tunnel like a hurricane, caring not when her fur got slightly caught in the gorse thorns due to her urgency.
"Help!" She roared, targeting her voice particularly in the direction of Longfang's den, as she repeated the call several times. His head poked out, the scent of fear off him already detectable even from this distance. The rest of the camp had come to a standstill; sharing tongues paused mid-groom, conversations shut off abruptly. The herbalist came trotting over.
"What is going on?" He asked, businesslike despite his own nerves. When he had a job to do, he was focused.
"Rowanpaw, he collapsed… Just outside-"
Longfang didn't wait for anything more; he swept past her and out the entrance. Dappledpaw made to turn and follow, but she collided with a broad white-furred chest. "Stay put." Icestar's deep voice made her look up as she backed away. His expression was grim. He had probably been following not far behind her, observing her for assessment. "You have done enough. Get a drink and stay in the shade, before you fall over as well."
Before she could argue with him, the leader was yowling at other cats to assist him, leading them out the entrance. Sorrelwind stayed in camp. She was standing on the High Stone, watching, very still.
And so Dappledpaw stood there in the middle of camp like a stunned deer in the fierce eyes of a monster, unsure what to do. A gentle tail on her back made her jump. "Dappledpaw, child, come and sit down." Horsefoot… oh Starclan no. She stared back at him as he led her into the shade, horrified, dread in her stomach as she knew that his whole world was about to collapse in mere moments. "Stay here." He said gently as he nosed her into the shade of the apprentice's den. "I'll bring you some water."
But the large leaf of water he was bringing her never made it; ending up spilled on the dry ground of camp moments later, as Horsefoot's strangled wail of despair rang out. The large tom looked like he had been physically knocked over as he crumpled beside his mate's body once she was gently laid down, pressing his broad face into her tangled fur.
Icestar followed at the rear as the cats who had retrieved Kowhaifall and Rowanpaw filed in. Rowanpaw was carted past where Dappledpaw sat, taken urgently into the herbalist's den; Longfang's high voice carried, calling for him to be placed down on the cool stone, ordering water to be brought.
"Spiderstrike." Icestar ushered one of his elites over. The skinny black tom had been watching silently on the sidelines; he flicked an ear in acknowledgement and paced over. "Sedgepaw and his observers are probably on the way back here, head them off and warn them… The assessment is cancelled." Spiderstrike did not answer, only nodding his head and sweeping from camp.
Icestar then padded past where cats were gathering in their grief around Kowhaifall's body. He glanced there only for a moment, then kept moving forward towards the herbalist's den. With all the distress in camp, he was one of the only calm presences. Sorrelwind had finally left the High Stone; she joined the mourners around the fallen young warrior, with a simple nod towards her mate and leader. Icestar paused by Dappledpaw as he passed by. "Are you alright?" His deep voice rumbled. "This must have been quite a shock."
Dappledpaw shook her head. "I'm fine." She replied, still watching the scene out in the middle of camp; she couldn't even see Kowhaifall's fur now through the press of bodies that were crouching beside her. "Nothing I can't handle." She added, more firmly, ripping her eyes away to look directly at Icestar.
The white tom huffed at her, and she got the feeling he didn't believe her. He lifted one massive paw and ruffled the top of her head, around her ears. It was a gesture he hadn't done since she was a younger apprentice; a gruff sort of affection. She often saw him do the same to his niece and nephew; Honeykit and Pebblekit. "Rest." He hummed at her, trying to be reassuring. "Longfang thinks Rowanpaw should be okay. He just overexerted himself in this heat."
She watched him pad towards the herbalist's den, she was guessing to check in on Rowanpaw. And maybe to get the story on what happened…
Dappledpaw just sat there for a moment, but then she couldn't help herself. She had to hear what happened too.
She slunk over to the entrance; keeping low. Not that she needed to worry. Not a single soul in camp was paying attention to her right now, understandably. Crouching near the dark gap in the stone, she strained her ears, and picked up the chatter. "-he just needs some rest now he's cooled down and hydrated." Longfang was speaking, sounding strained.
"Will he recover fully? I don't want such a promising apprentice wasted." Icestar replied, sounding tenser than he did when he had spoken to her before.
"Y-yes, he should be fine."
"And did he say anything about what happened?"
There was a small pause. Dappledpaw leaned in closer. "Broken stammerings as he faded in and out of consciousness." She could hear rustling around inside the den, like Longfang was shuffling through his herbs. "I-I could piece together… a vague understanding."
She could imagine Icestar making that face that was a silent question as he waited for the herbalist to go on. His scent was closer; he must be standing just inside the entranceway. She hunkered down further into the surrounding foliage, thinking she needed to make sure he didn't see her when he left. She had a reputation as being nosy. It was unbecoming of a leader's apprentice to go proving it, but she had to know what was going on.
"Based on what I could catch, Rowanpaw found her at the bottom of the cliffs; it seems like she fell… I'll have to examine her body but…" Dappledpaw's mind raced at the information. Kowhaifall was up on the cliff top? It was technically part of their territory but most cats stayed away. It was too dangerous; climbing them was hard enough, and they were notoriously unstable.
Icestar let out a thrum of thought. "Very well. I will need to speak with him further once he is well. Let me know when he wakes. I will have Kowhaifall's body brought to you by the elders to prepare her for the final rites at dusk." Gorseclan cats were buried after a final night was spent with their closest family and friends sitting vigil. The leader, too, would sit and watch at the camp entrance as a symbol of respect for their warrior. When a leader or deputy of Gorseclan died, full honours were given; most of the clan would stay up for the vigil… Before that though, the herbalist and elders prepared them at dusk, grooming their fur and speaking ancient ritual words to guide their spirit; to prepare them for their final journey to Starclan.
Dappledpaw waited until Icestar had passed by, heading over to meet with Sorrelwind. She leaned forward, half-tempted to poke her head into the herbalist's den, but thought better of it. Let Rowanpaw rest. Whatever she thought of the hot-headed jerk, he had just lost his mentor in traumatic circumstances. Even she had enough decency to let him be.
As she padded back to the apprentice's den to wait for Sedgepaw to return, Dappledpaw cast another glance towards where Kowhaifall lay. Most of the clan had broken off; speaking in hushed tones in small groups. Rimuleaf was one of the few still at her side. He and his sister were close; like she was with Sedgepaw. She couldn't imagine losing him… Horsefoot hadn't moved, and just looking at him made her chest feel heavy. He had just lost his mate, and his unborn kits.
She wondered how on earth a cat could reconcile with something like that.
