A/N

Gonna be honest here, I totally forgot to update yesterday lol

Chapter 6: Fox Hearts

Warmth seeped into Ravenpaw's thick fur. A paw was prodding him in the side. He groaned.

"Ravenpaw, wake up." It was Hazelstripe's voice.

Reluctantly, Ravenpaw stirred. The sun had already risen past the treeline. He blinked the sleep from his eyes. "Wha?" He mumbled. Maybe he shouldn't stay up so late at the willow tree anymore. Though, sometimes, Runningpaw was there, and that was definitely worth it.

"You were talking in your sleep," Hazelstripe said.

Ravenpaw sat upright, remembering his dream with hot ears. "What did I say?"

"It was mostly nonsense," Hazelstripe continued. "You did say Runningpaw's name a few times, though."

Embarrassment flashed through his fur. "Oh, I remember now. We were at the Moonfall."

Hazelstripe spared him a glance. "Hm. Interesting. Was there anything else?"

Was Hazelstripe teasing him? Ravenpaw lashed his tail. "I can't remember much," he lied. There was no way he was going to confess the true nature of his dream to his mentor, of all cats.

Hazelstripe gave a shrug. "Alright, then. Well, drink something and then we can get the day started."

Stretching into the warm sun as he exited the medicine den, Ravenpaw squinted at the brightness of the day. He much preferred cool nights over bright days. Wandering over to the little pond by the nursery, Ravenpaw lapped at the cool water. It tasted a bit mossy, but he didn't mind.

His tall ears pricked at some commotion at the camp entrance, and he turned to see a cluster of his clanmates crowding the barrier. Some had their hackles raised. Alarm rippled through him.

"What's he doing here!" Someone exclaimed in anger.

Pushing past his clanmates, the scent of wildflowers and fresh grass bathed his tongue. It was the scent of WindClan. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Runningpaw, swamped by his clanmates.

"Move, you mouse-brains," Ravenpaw hissed. "He's a medicine cat!"

The ShadowClan cats parted at his sharp tone, and blinked at him. "Can't you smell the herbs on his fur?" Ravenpaw growled. "He's here to study."

Clearly overwhelmed, Runningpaw smoothed the fur on his chest. His eyes were wild, and the fur on his spine was settling back down. "H- hi," he stammered nervously. "Quite the welcoming party."

Ravenpaw snorted. "Sorry about them. They're fools."

"Hey!" Eaglestorm growled. Ravenpaw shot him a look, and the warrior shut up.

"Hazelstripe!" Ravenpaw called into the medicine den. "Cloverwing sent Runningpaw over. Eaglestorm nearly killed him, though."

"I'm fine," Runningpaw breathed, obviously flustered.

Hazelstripe emerged with a blink of surprise. "So she did. Perhaps that's why you dreamt of Runningpaw last night."

Runningpaw turned to Ravenpaw. "You dreamt about me?" He sounded surprised, and his blue eyes were round, with wide black pupils to match.

Ravenpaw avoided eye contact. "It was probably some way to let me know you were coming. It doesn't mean anything." He was lying to himself, and he knew it, but he quickly changed the subject. "So, our herbs are in here."

Quickly, Ravenpaw slipped past his mentor and through the hanging ivy stalks. The bright sun made the den shine with yellow, casting the light on every wall.

Along the walls, the herbs were neatly gathered in clustered piles of three. "We use lots of ivy to store other herbs," Ravenpaw said. Some of the older herbs were wrapped in ivy leaves to keep them fresh.

"What's the herb that only grows here?" Hazelstripe asked, testing his apprentice.

"Wild garlic," Ravenpaw replied easily. It was on the far end of the herb stores, well stocked, and it smelled slightly stale. "We use it for rat bites a lot."

Runningpaw leaned close to sniff it, and his nose scrunched as it wafted to him. "It's pretty sharp," he coughed.

"You should smell it when it's fresh," Ravenpaw scoffed.

"That's actually not a bad idea, Ravenpaw," Hazelstripe meowed.

Ravenpaw blinked. "Huh?" What'd I say? "What is?"

"Smelling fresh garlic," Hazelstripe clarified. "Come, you two. It'll help to see what the herbs look like in the wild and how to harvest them."

Hazelstripe walked out of the den and looked around the camp. His eyes settled on Duskpaw with her mentor, Mossrock. She was struggling to get Duskpaw out of her nest. "Mossrock!" Hazelstripe called.

The grey tabby looked up, and gave Duskpaw one final cuff on the ear before she trotted up to Hazelstripe. "What is it?" She asked.

"Get Duskpaw and accompany us around the territory, will you?" Hazelstripe meowed. "Looks like Duskpaw could use a wake-up walk, and I want to show Runningpaw our natural herbs."

Mossrock glared at the WindClan tom briefly, but she relaxed upon smelling the scent of herbs on him. She dipped her head and dragged Duskpaw back to them. "A warrior wakes up at dawn, Duskpaw," Mossrock said sternly.

"A she-cat needs her beauty sleep, too," Duskpaw huffed.

"Maybe you should sleep longer then," Ravenpaw snickered.

Duskpaw hit him in the shoulder, and he just rolled his eyes. Duskpaw peered at Runningpaw. "Oh, hi!" She exclaimed. "Ravenpaw, you didn't tell me you have friends!"

"Shut it," Ravenpaw growled. "This is Runningpaw. He's the WindClan medicine apprentice. Runningpaw, this is my sister, Duskpaw. Feel free to ignore her."

Runningpaw flicked his tail tip. "It's nice to meet you. I- uh- didn't know you had a sister, Ravenpaw."

Duskpaw feigned offense. "You didn't tell him about me? Your wonderful sister?"

Ravenpaw blinked. "No."

"Alright, quit it," Hazelstripe huffed. "Runningpaw needs to focus."

Pine trees stretched out into the distance in every direction, and Ravenpaw could feel the uneasiness coming off of Runningpaw. Being in an enclosed area was probably unpleasant for him. The path they were walking was smooth, with marks from an earlier patrol still fresh in the dirt.

"Here," Hazelstripe meowed, stopping. His nose was pointing at an alder tree with peeling bark. Some had been stripped away by Ravenpaw the other day when Stonewater had been complaining of a toothache.

"Since WindClan territory has very little trees, alder bark is hard to come by," Hazelstripe explained. "I'll be sure you leave with some. Do you know what it's used for?"

Runningpaw shook his head, and Hazelstripe continued. "We use it for toothaches. Chewing it eases the pain."

Runningpaw looked thoughtful, as if carefully listening to what Hazelstripe was telling him. Ravenpaw couldn't help but notice how beautiful he looked while he was thinking. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly, and although his eyes darted all around, his tail tip was flicking with each word Hazelstripe said.

"It's really dry, so we give it with a drink of water," Ravenpaw added as they moved on. "Though I guess some heather nectar would work, too."

"I haven't dealt with any toothaches," Runningpaw admitted. "Cloverwing mostly has me with the elders and kits." He sounded a bit dejected.

"I'm sure there's a good reason for that, Runningpaw," Hazelstripe said over his shoulder. "Cloverwing knows what she's doing." Runningpaw kept his mouth shut after that.

They came to the edge of the forest where the dirt panned out into the marshes, and the pine trees grew more sparsely. The flat ground became uneven, with hollows filled with wet, warm mud. Runningpaw let out a squeak as his long legs slipped out from under him and he slid into a dip, front paws sinking into the mush.

Ravenpaw moved to help him, but he gained his balance quickly and shook himself out, grooming a paw. "Ah- um, sorry," Runningpaw mumbled, clearly ashamed of his mistake. "The ground here is different than WindClan."

"Just watch your step," Hazelstripe said kindly. He had never spoken to Ravenpaw with such patience. It made his fur prickle a bit.

Ravenpaw kept a close eye on Runningpaw's feet, ready to swoop into action if he were to miss a step again. Part of him secretly hoped he would, just so Ravenpaw could catch him and have a moment to stare into each other's eyes. However, it seemed Runningpaw was now acutely aware of where he was stepping, as his eyes were trained to his own paws.

A primal feeling tickled down Ravenpaw's spine, and he turned to look behind him instinctively. Before he could spot what triggered such a response, Runningpaw yowled.

"I smell fox!" The WindClan tom hissed.

In an instant, the patrol reacted. Mossrock lifted her jaws to the air. "He's right. And it's near."

"Why didn't we smell anything?" Hazelstripe growled, looking around.

"Doesn't matter," Duskpaw snapped, jumping back from a bramble bush. Her hackles were raised and her tail bushed. Ravenpaw watched in horror as he saw the russet-brown, narrow muzzle of an adult fox poking out of the brambles.

Duskpaw sprang, claws stretched out at the face of the fox. Mossrock was flanking the creature with a snarl curled on her lips, while Hazelstripe stood to the side, body protecting Ravenpaw and Runningpaw.

"I want you to run," Hazelstripe growled, glancing over his shoulder at Ravenpaw. "Take Runningpaw and run back to camp. Get help, and do not look back."

Ravenpaw was frozen. His eyes were locked on the sight of his sister grappling with the fox. Duskpaw was pinned to the ground, struggling to push its face away from her as it tried to bite down on her neck. Saliva dripped from the jaws of the fox's white teeth, only a whisker away from tearing into Duskpaw's throat. Fear flickered in her eyes, and she glanced over at her brother.

"Run, Ravenpaw!" Duskpaw cried.

Duskpaw's voice cut into him, shaking him out of his trance. Ravenpaw turned to Runningpaw. The WindClan tom had his eyes glued to the fox, feet stuck in place.

Swiftly, Ravenpaw slammed his shoulder into Runningpaw. "C'mon!" He shouted. Runningpaw seemed to register his words in the midst of his frozen fear, and scrambled to follow as he ran.

Ravenpaw spun around to face Runningpaw, watching as the WindClan tom struggled to keep up with the undergrowth tripping him up. Nosing him, Ravenpaw steadied Runningpaw.

"Use your claws!" Ravenpaw said sharply.

"I- I can't," Runningpaw cried.

Ravenpaw pushed himself to Runningpaw's side to balance him against the undergrowth. They stayed side by side until they burst through the barrier into ShadowClan camp.

"Ravenpaw!" Junipershade exclaimed. "What happened?"

Ravenpaw was panting too hard to respond. "Fox!" Runningpaw puffed. Though he was panting, he was a WindClan cat, and running came naturally. His hard breathing was likely from fear.

"Near… the marshes," Ravenpaw managed between breaths.

"Snowstar!" Junipershade yowled. "Fox by the marshes!"

The leader responded instantly, shouting names of cats to go and serve as backup. Ravenpaw felt someone warm usher him into the medicine den, and he suddenly felt his bones feel tired once the dimness of the den hit him. Runningpaw was sitting beside him, so close the ends of their fur were touching.

Ravenpaw collapsed into his nest with a soft gasp. How could I do that…

Worry rippled off of Runningpaw, and it reflected in his blue eyes. "Ravenpaw!" He gasped. "Are you okay? Did the fox get you?"

Mutely, Ravenpaw shook his head. Words wouldn't come.

Gently, Runningpaw sat himself beside Ravenpaw. He smelled of sweet heather and it flooded Ravenpaw's sense of smell. "Talk to me," Runningpaw whispered.

Ravenpaw gulped. "I- I just left her there," he choked out. "Duskpaw, she- she's facing that thing all alone, and I just left her."

"She's got help," Runningpaw said.

Ravenpaw shook his head. "No, I- I know how to fight. ShadowClan medicine cats learn it. I could've done something. I should have done something."

Runningpaw's worried look softened. "I can't fight. You would've had to protect me, and I'd be dead weight. This way, we got them back-up sooner."

"She's gonna die," Ravenpaw muttered. "And it's my fault." He felt Runningpaw place his paw over his, but once the words came, they wouldn't stop. "There's nothing I can do. Duskpaw's gonna die."

"Ravenpaw, look at me," Runningpaw said gently. "Thinking like this is not going to help your sister."

"I just ran," Ravenpaw groaned, head buried in his nest. "I should have helped her. This is all my fault. She's gonna die and it's going to be because I ran."

He could hear Runningpaw's soothing words, but they were nothing but a dullness drifting from one ear and out the other. His whole body felt heavy, like the weight of a tree was pressing him down into his nest.

It's all my fault. She's going to die and it's all my fault! I call myself a medicine cat? And for what? To leave her to die? I can't do anything. I can't heal and I can't fight. I know Hazelstripe hates me. The whole clan hates me. Duskpaw probably thinks I hate her. She can't die thinking I hate her! StarClan, this is all my fault! If only I'd scented the fox sooner. Or stayed to help her. Or-

His ruminating thoughts were cut short by a quick and sharp pain in his ear. "Ow!" He exclaimed, glaring at Runningpaw. "Did you just bite me?"

"You gotta quit it," Runningpaw said firmly.

"I can't," Ravenpaw moaned helplessly. "What if she needs me? I left her!"

"And we left for a reason," Runningpaw said. "They're going to need us to help them when they get back. We need to be ready."

Ravenpaw struggled to push his dark thoughts away, however hard her tried. Runningpaw must have noticed, because he spoke up again.

"Show me your marigold," Runningpaw demanded.

Ravenpaw stood, though his body protested. "It- it's over here." Everything was in such a meticulous order; he made sure of that. Whenever Hazelstripe brought in new herbs, or Duskpaw brought something she thought might be useful, Ravenpaw had a certain place for everything.

Nestled in a neat little stack, where the marigold petals and leaves. Some were dried out and needed to be tossed, but others were fresher from a few days ago.

"We're going to need cobwebs too," Runningpaw continued.

Turning to a darker corner of the den, Ravenpaw gathered up the thin, wispy webs into a haphazard pile with the marigold. He waited for Runningpaw to give him another instruction.

"What if they pulled something?" Runningpaw pressed.

"We'll need comfrey roots," Ravenpaw answered without missing a beat. He snatched up the fat, dirty roots, shaking the clumps of dry soil off it.

Ravenpaw was now wrapped up in gathering all the potential herbs they might need. He had Runningpaw locate the dock leaves for him, while he got dandelion leaves for painkillers. They ran into each other a few times as they moved back and forth around the den, trying to locate everything they might need.

In the end, they had gathered marigold petals and horsetail to stop the bleeding, comfrey for wrenched muscles, dock leaves for smaller scratches, dandelion leaves for painkillers, and cobwebs to seal up the wound.

Just in time too, because as they were done, Snowstar staggered into the den, white fur stained with crimson blood. "He got hurt the worst!" Mossrock cried as she followed.

Ravenpaw craned his neck to see Duskpaw limping into the den, alive. She was favoring her right side, as her left shoulder was dripping blood from a very clear bite mark.

"I'm getting too old for this," Hazelstripe groaned as he stumbled behind the warriors.

Ravenpaw was on his sister in an instant as Runningpaw tended to the ShadowClan leader with shaky paws.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Duskpaw meowed quickly. "Snowstar needs help! That fox got his neck!"

Spinning around, Ravenpaw turned to see Runningpaw frantically applying pressure to the wound in Snowstar's neck. The blood was hot and sticky in the air, clouding his senses. It coated Runningpaw's paws, oozing through his toes as he tried to stop the bleeding.

Ravenpaw grabbed some cobwebs to help, but Snowstar turned his head to him. "No… don't…" he said, weakly, sputtering blood. "Don't waste…"

Ravenpaw had a pretty good idea of what Snowstar was trying to say, but either way, the ShadowClan leader was unable to finish his sentence. He was consumed by a coughing fit, spitting up blood as he did so. Runningpaw stumbled back in surprise, and the white tom fell limp.

"He'll be back in a second," Ravenpaw said to Runningpaw. "We have other patients."

Nodding, but still shocked, Runningpaw padded over to Mossrock, tending to her injuries. Ravenpaw turned back to Duskpaw, who had begun licking her wound and wincing. He smacked her muzzle.

"Quit it," Ravenpaw muttered. "Get over here."

Duskpaw stretched out her shoulder, letting out a stifled grunt as Ravenpaw spread the poultice of marigold and dock onto the wound. The bleeding had stopped, so he knew it was shallow, but he was unable to shake his fear.

"Do you know how reckless you are, Duskpaw?" Ravenpaw growled. "Challenging that fox by yourself… It takes skill to be that stupid."

Duskpaw glared at him. "Excuse me? I saved your sorry flank! If it wasn't for me, you and that skinny little WindClan cat would be mousedust!"

"Foxes aren't something to play around with!" Ravenpaw snapped, and he pressed a bit hard on her wound to make his point. "They're dangerous killers!"

Duskpaw scoffed. "You think I don't know that? I had to make sure you and Runningpaw got away. The clans need you."

"Well, I need you," Runningpaw hissed. He blinked away tears. Fox-dung, why do I have to start crying now? "You… you could've died, Duskpaw."

Duskpaw's angry look faded. "Ravenpaw.. I…"

He looked away from her. "Just… don't touch those cobwebs."

Talking about their feelings wasn't something Ravenpaw and Duskpaw did. No, they made fun of each other and made rude remarks. But no matter how much she got on his nerves, Ravenpaw couldn't imagine life without his sister. They'd grown up together.

Mossrock was limping out of the medicine den now, and Runningpaw was rubbing poultice on Sunfall's flank. She looked like she'd gotten off pretty easy.

Hazelstripe was chewing a poultice and began applying it to his own wounds, wincing as he strained himself. He looked like he'd done more fighting than his older body would have liked. Ravenpaw was on him in an instant.

"Sit down," he growled. "You're injured."

"I'm a medicine cat, Ravenpaw," Hazelstripe meowed. "I can tend to my own wounds. Go to the others."

"Runningpaw has them," Ravenpaw said. "Now, sit. I won't ask again."

Either he gave in or was shocked by his tone, Hazelstripe sat still. Ravenpaw was quiet as he tended to the injuries. Hazelstripe had licked away most of the blood and not irritated the wound, but the flesh was exposed and tender, even to just the open air.

"I heard you with Duskpaw," Hazelstripe said. "You could've been nicer. That's your sister."

"Well, she pulled a dumb move," Ravenpaw growled. "And you did, too. It's been moons since you fought, let alone a fox! You're not a spry young warrior anymore, Hazelstripe."

Hazelstripe blinked. "I couldn't leave." The old tom looked down. "The thought of that fox getting to you, or to Runningpaw… I had to stay and fight."

"If you 'stay and fight' one more time, you might end up dead," Ravenpaw puffed, grunting as he pushed Hazelstripe's dislocated shoulder back into place. "Or worse. The elders den."

"You can just say you were worried about me, Ravenpaw," Hazelstripe said quietly. "You don't need to hide it."

Ravenpaw scoffed indignantly. "I wasn't worried!" Huffing, he pushed the cobwebs towards his mentor. "You can dress your wounds yourself then. And don't sleep with comfrey roots in your nest tonight."

Lashing his tail, Ravenpaw turned to see if Runningpaw needed help. Stupid old crow… He thought to himself. Who does Hazelstripe think he is?

"I just finished tending to someone," Runningpaw meowed as he walked up. "I didn't catch his name. Um… dark brown fur."

"It was probably Reedclaw," Ravenpaw said. "I saw him come in. Is that everyone?"

Runningpaw nodded. "The others left but I made Snowstar stay. I think he should have something to ease his mind."

"I told you, WindClanner, I'm fine," Snowstar grumbled.

"Hazelstripe and I are the ones who decide that," Ravenpaw said, walking over to his leader. "Losing a life is no small deal, now shut it."

Runningpaw gawked at Ravenpaw. He could see the WindClan tom staring at him in surprise out of the corner of his eye. He probably didn't think I'd be so harsh with my own leader…

Ravenpaw prodded at Snowstar, checking for any soreness or tender spots. He was still coated in fresh blood, but there was nothing wrong other than a new scar where his wound had healed.

"I'm still going to give you some chamomile," Ravenpaw said, turning to get it.

Snowstar turned to protest, but Hazelstripe spoke up before the leader could get a word in.

"I wouldn't argue if I were you, Snowstar," Hazelstripe said. "Besides, Ravenpaw is right. Losing a life is a difficult experience, and taking some chamomile only takes a moment."

Snowstar let out a barely audible grumble, but the tom begrudgingly decided to listen to his medicine cats, and ate the chamomile placed at his paws by Ravenpaw.

"You should know we killed the fox," Hazelstripe said once Snowstar had gone. "Still, I think Runningpaw should be heading back to WindClan. Today has been more than he signed up for."

Ravenpaw dipped his head. He grabbed some large ivy leaves and packed some alder bark and wild garlic into it for Runningpaw to take back with him to WindClan.

"Add some horsetail," Hazelstripe mewed. "I was going to explain it to him before that fox showed up."

"I'll collect more tomorrow," Ravenpaw said as he put the last of the horsetail in with the bundle. "We used all we had for everyone's wounds."

"Cloverwing will be happy to get this," Runningpaw said politely, dipping his head respectfully to Hazelstripe.

Runningpaw walked to the end of the den, then paused. For a moment, he was still. Then, he turned around with round eyes, ears turned back and the fur alone his spine was raised.

"Ravenpaw," he muttered. "Will- will you walk me to the border?" Without hesitation, Ravenpaw moved forward towards the WindClan tom.

"Ravenpaw."

He turned around. Hazelstripe was staring at him with firm eyes. He seemed like he was about to argue, but he saw Runningpaw shuffling nervously at the entrance of the den, and his strictness seemed to ebb away.

Hazelstripe closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "Be quick."

Ravenpaw nodded, physically trying to push down his excitement of spending more time with Runningpaw. He followed suit behind the other medicine apprentice as they walked out of the ShadowClan camp. Runningpaw hunched down low to slip through the tangle of brambles that was the camp barrier. His thin fur glided through the thorns easily, making Ravenpaw jealous. He always had to wriggle free of the brambles and leaves getting stuck in his thick coat.

Once they were free from the prying eyes and ears of ShadowClan cats, Runningpaw's behavior completely changed. His arched back relaxed, and his ears stood tall and calm, tail flicking nonchalant behind him.

"C'mon!" He said, bounding ahead of Ravenpaw. "I'll race you!"

"Wh- what?" Ravenpaw stuttered. "But you were just afraid of being on your own!"

Runningpaw rolled his eyes. "I was faking it. I just wanted you to come to the border with me. Now hurry it up!"

And here I thought I had him pegged… "You're devious!" Ravenpaw growled playfully, chasing after the WindClan tom. It was easy to catch up with him, as he was tripped up by undergrowth every few steps, but once the ground flattened out and upturned roots were left behind them, Runningpaw pulled ahead. Ravenpaw was panting when they reached the border.

"How are you so full of energy?" Ravenpaw puffed. "We were attacked by a fox and you're racing me to the border."

Runningpaw shrugged awkwardly. "I think we did good today. And, well… I like spending time with you."

Ravenpaw twitched his whiskers, feeling his face get warm. "Oh. I like spending time with you, too."

"Besides, a good run helps the heart," Runningpaw meowed. "Figured it might help you shake off those bad vibes."

"No, I quite hate running," Ravenpaw groaned, though he was amused.

The sky was beginning to grow pink on the horizon. The moors glowed with sunset colors, as did Runningpaw's mousy brown and white fur. Shades of warm yellows shimmered on his pelt, and his blue eyes were swimming.

"I should, um- I should get going," Runningpaw stammered.

"Wait."

Runningpaw turned back around. "Yes?"

"I-"

Ravenpaw swallowed. And then he said something he thought he would never say.

"Thank you."

A/N

He's thanking him for helping him with his depressive episode. I love them. Ravenpaw is purposely written as spiralling into depression, because he does have it. I know what it's like.