The sky was shimmering with starlight as half a moon shone high between the feathery clouds.
Sweettooth was a fox-length away from the lake in WindClan territory, on his way to the moonpool for the medicine cat gathering that was held every time the moon grew to half full.
As Sweettooth approached the stream that set the border between ThunderClan and WindClan, he could see two cats standing on the other bank. Sweettooth reached the bank and greeted the ShadowClan medicine cats' surprised expressions with a nod.
"Sweettooth," The mottled brown tom meowed, his voice betraying surprise as much as his gaze. "What are you doing here? Did something happen to Willowshine?"
"Willowshine is sick." Sweettooth answered. "She sent me to share knowledge with you."
"I hope you're not planning on coming to the Moonpool," The older ShadowClan medicine cat meowed commandedly. "It is reserved for medicine cats and leaders only."
"Did the badgers really do that?" The dark tabby asked Sweettooth unprompted, seeming a bit unsure of himself. "I mean did they gather herbs?"
"Yes," Sweettooth explained. "There were two badgers and they picked off some burnet flowers. The patch was very small so I planted some flowers in another clearing nearby, a bit farther from the lake. Don't pick from there yet, We want to let it grow at least until Green-Leaf."
"Thank you for notifying us." The brown medicine cat meowed to close the conversation. "Now let's get to the Moonpool, it's already getting late."
After Sweettooth crossed the river, The three cats marched upstream. At the beginning of the spiraling path that leads to the Moonpool sat five more cats. Sweettooth recognized them as the medicine cats of the other clans.
"Sweettooth?" The blind ThunderClan medicine cat meowed, sounding surprised. "What are you doing here? Is Willowshine sick?"
"Yes," Sweettooth answered again. "Willowshine sent me to share knowledge with you."
"Fine," The gray cat grunted. "But you can't sit near the Moonpool. That's where we usually share but we'll make an exception for you. Let's get on with it then. Puddleshine," The medicine cat turned his blind gaze towards the brown tom with a question in his eyes. "I haven't noticed Sunbeam during the last gathering, I hope it was just a coincidence she wasn't there, and not anything related to another event. She didn't eat a laurel leaf did she?"
"What do you want me to tell you Jayfeather?" Puddleshine's answer revealed nothing. Sweettooth now began to remember the conversation he and Shelldawn heard about a missing ShadowClan she-cat.
"For the past moon Shadowsight has been more nervous than he was as an apprentice." Jayfeather retorted, pointing his tail at the younger ShadowClan medicine cat. "I know something is wrong, if that has anything to do with Bayblade, I need to know."
"There is nothing I can say." Puddleshine simply replied and changed the subject. "Sweettooth, why don't you tell the others about the badgers you saw."
"Why should badgers interest us?" Jayfeather still seemed determined to know more about the missing ShadowClan cat.
"They were gathering herbs." Sweettooth answered dramatically, sending a ripple of surprise and astonishment across the medicine cats. "There were two badgers in our territory picking off burnet flowers. They turned tail as soon as they saw us. Reedstar mentioned one of them might have been a badger called Nightstar."
"While Nightsar can sometimes be as cranky as a badger," The mottled WindClan medicine cat replied to Sweettooth, amused. "I believe you meant Midnight."
"Midnight doesn't work with other badgers." Jayfeather objected. "But other badgers do know some things about healing. Just make sure they don't do it often, we don't want badgers in clan territory." Jayfeather turned his sightless gaze towards the sky where the moon still shone bright. "Let's not waste anymore moonlight. Sweettooth, would you wait for us here?"
Sweettooth simply responded with a nod and sat down, preparing himself to sleep on the uncovered ground. The medicine cats all began walking down the spiraling path of stone while Sweettooth closed his eyes and drifted asleep.
"Wake up Sleeptooth." Sweettooth woke up to hear the WindClan medicine cat waking him up. "We finished sharing tongues with StarClan. there's something you might want to tell Reedstar as well."
The other medicine cats appeared rising from the path one by one. Once they have all emerged, Sweettooth and the mottled gray tom greeted the other medicine cats goodbye and left towards WindClan territory, the rest going towards ThunderClan's.
After losing sight of the medicine cats from the other clans, well into WindClan territory, the WindClan medicine cat took cautious glances to all sides. "The vision StarClan gave me," The medicine cat meowed anxiously. "It had fire that reached our camp. Fire in visions in many cases described Firestar or his kin so I'm afraid it means ThunderClan is going to attack us. Please tell Reedstar the moment we feared is close, and tell him that WindClan has done nothing to upset ThunderClan. Nightstar would probably send a patrol later but it won't hurt telling him sooner."
Sweettooth nodded in agreement and split away from the mottled tom, leaving towards the RiverClan camp.
Dawn was still some moments away as Sweettooth crossed the stream leading to his camp.
After sharing a friendly greeting with Havenpelt and Frostfur who stood guard during the night, Sweettooth trotted towards the nursery.
Sweettooth entered the den as quietly as he could and quickly turned his head towards Shelldawn's nest where he saw a smile rise on the silver tabby's face and a few tears under her mesmerizing deep-blue eyes.
"Sweettooth!" Shelldawn meowed weakly, but with excitement filling her voice. "How was the Moonpool? Was it pretty?"
"I didn't get to see it." Sweettooth meowed, disappointed at the lacking answer he could give to his mate.
"Don't be so disappointed," Shelldawn comforted Sweettooth. "I've seen enough pools, I can imagine it. Did the medicine cats say anything interesting?"
"Jayfeather, i think that's his name, confronted Puddleshine about that ShadowClan she-cat's disappearance."
"About Sunbeam? What did they say?"
"Puddleshine and Shadowsight didn't say anything, but Jayfeather knows something is wrong. I think he suspects she's expecting kits."
"We know that's not the problem, I hope she's okay. Did you tell them about the badgers?"
"Yes, they think it's probably nothing. Did you sleep well? You sound like you're in pain."
"I am in pain. Oh Sweettooth, Icewing and Mothwing told me it's usual to feel like this but it doesn't feel normal, do you think it's normal too?"
Sweettooth rested his head on Shelldawn's swollen belly. Sweettooth felt the kits inside moving slightly. They're so big already. Sweettooth thought proudly, but frightened as well. Anyone would think Shelldawn is due any moment now.
"Shelldawn," Sweettooth questioned his expecting mate. "You're only due for more than half a moon from now, are you?"
"Yes," Shelldawn answered, sounding just as terrified as Sweettooth felt. "That's what Mothwing and every queen or former queen told me. Why are you asking?"
"I think the kits might come sooner," Sweettooth answer put a distressed expression on Shelldawn's gaze. "Maybe even before sunhigh."
Shelldawn did not respond further but Sweettooth knew she needed to be comforted. Sweettooth began grooming his mate's fur, gently lapping at her ears, and lightly running his paw over her spine. Herbs can wait.
Sweettooth kept calming his mate until the sun rose higher, lighting the nursery through its roof, and Jayclaw poked his head through the entrance.
"Mistfeather, Oakkit, Stormkit," Jayclaw called to his mate and kits. "Are you up for a game of Mossball?"
"Can we?"
"Can we?" The kit's pleas brought a wide smile to their mother's face.
"Of course we can." Mistfeather agreed, and turned her head to Sweettooth. "Shimmerpelt?" The queen asked quietly.
Sweettooth responded with a brisk nod. He needed to prepare everything for Shelldawn's soon kitting but didn't want to leave her alone.
Sweettooth cuddled against his mate waiting for her mother's arrival. The entrance to the den rustled and Shimmerpelt's silver fur came into sight as she entered the den.
The former queen hurried to her daughter's side and began calming her, allowing Sweettooth to prepare for the kitting.
"The kits are coming sooner than we thought." Sweettooth was still nervous about the coming kitting. "I'm going to tell Mothwing and prepare what's needed."
Sweettooth exited the nursery and rushed towards the medicine den. On the way there, Sweettooth saw Icewing and remembered the WindClan medicine cat's request.
"ThunderClan attack WindClan soon." Sweettooth meowed hurriedly to Icewing while still heading for the medicine den. "Nightstar tell more." Sweettooth did not wait for a response and kept trotting towards the medicine den.
Catching a few thorns in his pelt while entering the den, Sweettooth hurried towards the herb store.
"Sweettooth where were you?" Mothwing questioned Sweettooth, not sounding scolding or upset. "And what are you doing?"
"Shelldawn's kitting would start sooner than we thought." Sweettooth answered briskly. "I'm preparing herbs for it. She'll be in a lot of pain Mothwing," Sweettooth tone turned from calm and resolute to worried as his anxiousness rose higher than ever. "Please believe me."
"I do believe you Sweettooth." Mothwing reassured Sweettooth. "I could have made a mistake, Shelldawn only entered the nursery recently. Here let me help you, I'll take the chamomile, chervil, and fennel. You can judge how much borage, juniper, and thyme Shelldawn will need."
Sweettooth and Mothwing worked in unison to arrange the herbs needed for Shelldawn's looming birth.
After getting all of the herbs in a sorted pile, Sweettooth took some bay leaves and bindweed stems from the store and began wrapping different herbs into piles.
"Sweettooth did you come back?" Sweettooth heard the weak rasp of the sick Willowshine. "What did the other medicine cats say? Did Jayfeather miss me?"
"They were all worried about you." Sweettooth began answering. "Not much happened otherwise. Jayfeather suspected Puddleshine and Shadowsight for hiding something about Sunbeam and he asked if she ate a laurel leaf. I told them about the badgers, and the WindClan medicine cat told me his vision meant ThunderClan would attack soon."
"Why does he insist on calling it laurel leaf?" Willowshine complained about a minor part of the meeting. "Every other clan calls it bay leaves. He even has kin with bay in his name—" Willowshine interrupted herself with a sneeze, taking a few moments to rest before rasping again. "My headache grew stronger. Mothwing, may I please have feverfew?"
"Yes dear," Mothwing obliged to Willowshine's polite request, and went to the herbs store.
Suddenly, a loud, screeching wail rang through the air while Mothwing was still getting the feverfew. Shelldawn!