A/N: Happy six years of Broken! That's right, today marks the sixth anniversary of this story's creation and with it I come baring gifts. As of now, for the next fifteen days of June, every three days you will receive a new chapter of Broken. In celebration, and also to make up for the lack of content over nearly a year's time, I spent roughly five weeks writing six chapters back to back that ultimately wraps up the last big arc for the story, and now perfectly sets us up for the ending. More or less, anyway. I should also mention that of those six chapters, one of them is a bonus chapter, so only five are technically "plot" related.

So for example, just so we're all clear on the schedule, you're receiving this chapter on Monday, which means the next one will be posted on Thursday, followed by another one on Sunday. This will go on until all six have been posted. Thank you all for your continued six years of support, and here's hoping you all enjoy the rest of what's yet to come.

Friends

Things were different, fractured in a way they'd never been before. In so little time so much had fallen apart around me. The distance between us had widened to an unimaginable degree. In some ways that wouldn't even be apparent for some time to come.

"Could you open your mouth a little wider?"

Reserving a sigh, Hollypaw stretched her jaw further open. Previously she might've complained that any bugs flying by could just zoom right down her throat, but simply agreeing seemed like the path of least resistance here.

"Your breathing sounds even and your sinuses are clear," Fernleaf stated after removing her nose from her mouth.

Hollypaw resisted the urge to flash a smug grin in the direction of Roseblossom, who stood quietly watching a few pawlengths away. If Fernleaf was the one to say it then she couldn't argue.

The medicine cat turned to the warrior. "She's good to resume training and hunting."

"Told you so," Hollypaw said pointedly to Roseblossom with a huff. "It was only a tiny cold."

Half a moon she'd been regulated to camp because of a slight sniffle. In the meantime other cats were afflicted by genuine sicknesses with her unable to do anything to help. Frustrating didn't begin to express how antsy she'd felt over it.

She'd slowly spent time accumulating all these connections with other Clans and essentially had no chance to act upon any of them for aide. Half the camp was originally separated away from the other to halt the spreading and kept under close watch at all time. Avoiding detection to slink away had been neigh impossible.

"You might be reckless with your health, but I'm not," Roseblossom shot back. "Apprentices should know their place and listen to their mentors, especially when said mentor knows what's actually best for them."

A scathing rebuttal was already forming in Hollypaw's mouth before she'd had chance to properly even process one in her head. She parted her lips to let the words fly free.

"You can never be too careful," Fernleaf replied lightly, interjecting in the spat before it could grow worse. "In that type of weather a simple cold can become so much more. The last thing any of us want is to unfairly lose Clanmates"

Hollypaw and Roseblossom both fell silent, the rising tension between them deflating at once. The memory of what had occurred during the height of the crisis was still fresh in all their minds. The fact the three of them were currently in the medicine den only seemed to amplify and sharpen it.

"Sorry, Roseblossom," she mumbled in a low voice. "I do know that you were just looking out for me."

The warrior shook her head. "It's fine I–I understand how frustrating it must've been for you. You're free to move about the forest again. Let's just focus on that, okay?"

It was clear Roseblossom didn't want to linger on that situation anymore than she did. Hollypaw gave her a sincere nod in reply which Roseblossom returned with a tiny smile, wiping away their previous dispute.

Not willing to sit in that uncomfortable silence again, Hollypaw's gaze wandered off to the back of the medicine den where she knew a certain patient of Fernleaf's resided.

"How's Redpaw been?" she asked.

"Better, if a bit quiet."

"Is he –."

Fernleaf was already shaking her head before Hollypaw had a chance to finish.

"No, he's still not up for visitors quite yet."

"He's not still sick is he?"

"No, no, rest assured physically he is doing very well."

"What's the problem then?" she probed further. "I've been trying to see him for the last couple of sunrises with no luck."

It was truer to say the near instant the storm had lifted, she'd been trying to see him. At every turn and attempt Fernleaf had denied her entrance, sighting fatigue or some other reason behind why she couldn't be allowed in. She hadn't particularly believed her, but it really wasn't good form to accuse the medicine cat of lying, so Hollypaw had reluctantly let it go.

For the faintest of glimpses, she thought saw something flash across the medicine cat's face. A heartbeat later Fernleaf's expression was just as shrewd and reserved as it always was.

"I assume there's a lot on his mind to process still. He–..," Fernleaf trailed off. Her voice dropped to an almost delicate whisper. "Things have been difficult lately, for all of us. Wait a bit and I'll see if I can't maybe persuade him to see you later today."

Hollypaw's eyes lit up. "You mean it?" she asked excitedly, getting close to Fernleaf. Within such close proximity she mutely realized she was a solid bit larger than the medicine cat.

"I'll try," she said uneasily, clearly uncomfortable with the lack of space. Fernleaf took a couple of steps back. "I think interacting with someone else other than me will do him some good."

They made arrangements for Fernleaf to come fetch her should Redpaw be up for talking. Hollypaw could only hope now that she would come through for her. There was so much that she wanted to talk to Redpaw about, to show him, but most importantly of all she just wanted to be able to see him with her own eyes and know he was okay.

She and Roseblossom exited the medicine den together, stepping directly out onto the soft crunch of snowmelt beneath their paws. The slush lie sprinkled throughout the camp in dirtied splotches–the bare remains of the past season. Above, nearby trees had already shed their snowy coats, revealing the fresh vibrant greenery and dawning signs of Newleaf on the horizon.

With Leaf-bare now steadily evaporating, Clan life had started to resume some sense of normalcy. Cats were once again milling through and around camp. Hollypaw spotted some queens chatting animatedly amongst each other while a few kits, lithe and healthy, darted energetically between them around the mouth of the nursery. A bit further along the elders could be seen bathing, most likely thankful to finally soak up rays of sunlight after so long.

It was a welcoming sight, considering the past circumstances. There was a certain numbness to the air that wasn't a result of the cold. Stifling, dull, and creeping, it hung heavily over the BoulderClan camp inhabitants, like a smothering layer of snow. Seeing early hints of some cats starting to shake it off filled Hollypaw with some hope it may inspire others to do the same.

Something suddenly floated by at the edge of her vision, near the apprentice den. Looking, she caught the tip of a white tail vanish inside.

"I'm thinking of heading to my nest," Hollypaw said, turning to Roseblossom. "Is there anything you need me for?"

"I heard a hunting patrol is going to be put together in awhile," she mewed. "You wanted a chance to head out in the forest again, right? Be ready."

Hollypaw nodded before immediately scampering away. Coming up a few tail-lengths short, she halted outside the entrance before carefully peeking in. Even without her eyes fully adjusted to the lesser light within, there was no mistaking the stark white pelt of Lilypaw.

What was a little harder to discern, however, was the darker mesh of something she seemed to be hovering over. Or it would've had she not already known he'd be there, like he had since the news was made public half-moon ago.

"Sagepaw...Sagepaw, please," she heard Lilypaw's voice meekly call out.

Even now, I can still recall the sinking sensation of how my heart plummeted, seeing him like that, of watching Lilypaw helplessly trying to make a connection. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair then, and it most certainly isn't now.

Sagepaw wasn't speaking to anyone. After the announcement of his father's passing he'd held up inside the apprentice den, basically inconsolable. Redpaw, though said to have recovered, wasn't speaking to anyone either. In the blink of an eye two of her closest friends had morphed into unapproachable glaciers of ice, leaving her and many other cats unsure of how to proceed with them.

Words failed her when Crowstar had made the unfortunate declaration. Even now with some time removed, what could she say at a time like this? Sorry your father died? Just the mere thought sounded outrageously mousebrained.

How had everything transpired so quickly?

Lilypaw continued offering words of encouragement, trying to coax some sort of response out of him. For the past eight or more sunrises Hollypaw had caught small moments of her attempting to interact with him– offering food, to share tongues, or a short walk around the camp. All failed, but still she kept at it.

Despite it, Hollypaw found her persistence admirable. She was the only one to keep trying after Crowstar and Fernleaf had to reprimand Ashfur for forcefully trying to drag him out after days of him being unresponsive. It was a bitter experience that most watched unfold from afar. They felt for Ashfur, who couldn't stand to see his apprentice in such a desolate state, but even more so who could blame Sagepaw?

It wasn't a secret of how much he'd admired his father or the state he'd been in prior when Brackentail injured his leg. This was that instance only amplified ten times over, and it'd be dishonest of her to assume she understood a true fraction of what he was currently experiencing.

Family was becoming more and more of a relevant topic for her these days, she grimly noticed.

The sound of approaching pawsteps made her ears perk. A heartbeat later Lilypaw materialized at the mouth of the den. Her gaze briefly flickered over Hollypaw, registering her presence.

"Any luck?" she asked the white she-cat, despite already knowing the answer.

Her head shook dejectedly, as even her whiskers appeared to droop in disappointment. "I'll try again later," she murmured before looking at her. "What about you; were you able to talk with Redpaw?"

It was Hollypaw's turn now to shake her head in disappointment. "Nothing," she admitted. "Fernleaf said she'd see what she could do, but no real promises."

Both she-cats released heavy sighs.

"Well, you seem a lot better anyway," Lilypaw remarked.

Hollypaw rolled her eyes. "I told you it was just a tiny cold. Fernleaf even agreed I'm healthy to resume apprentice activities."

"You were sneezing an awful lot," she replied doubtfully. "Not even someone with no training as a medicine cat would call that a 'tiny cold', Hollypaw."

"Well it doesn't matter because I'm cleared now," she grumbled kittishly, which drew a tiny smile from Lilypaw.

Good, she thought. Concerned over Sagepaw, Lilypaw hadn't smiled much lately, at least not whenever she'd been around.

"Hollypaw! Lilypaw, you too! Come on, we're heading out on hunting patrol!"

The familiar call of Roseblossom's voice carried out across the camp, suddenly grabbing both of their attention. Lilypaw cast a longing look behind her, directly inside the apprentice den. It was transparently clear what was on her mind.

"We should probably go," Hollypaw advised.

"He needs help, though," Lilypaw said, turning to face her with pleading eyes. "We can't just let him huddle away in there."

She was right of course. The one thing that shouldn't be done was allow Sagepaw to continue down this path. The general idea from the older cats was to allow him space to grieve in peace. What she questioned about that belief though, was where the separation between grieving and wallowing began and ended. Literally ripping him from his nest like Ashfur's initial attempt was a bit on the extreme side, however. So where did that leave them then? What were their options?

Hollypaw mulled it over in her head, debating various scenarios. She wasn't the type to ever give up on a friend, but neither did she quite know how to approach this. Lilypaw was depending on her for help, which meant it was even more important that she come up with a viable solution. It just seemed beyond–.

"I believe Roseblossom was calling you two."

Oakclaw, the new BoulderClan deputy, stood towering over them. They froze like two startled pieces of prey under the eye of a predator. When had he walked up, and how? A cat his size should be immediately noticeable no matter where he was.

Hollypaw's claws reflexively unsheathed, gouging sharply into the dirt. A slew of emotions ran rampantly through her mind in the space of a heartbeat. This was the first time she'd been this up close to him since the night in Crowstar's den, the day she'd discovered his blood relation to Redpaw, and half-moon since he'd been elevated to deputy.

Deputy.

It didn't even sound right referring to him as such. It'd been like a hazy fog that entire event. More than half of the Clan wasn't even present for it, having been regulated to their nests. Roseblossom told her it'd been fairly quick. A few words by Crowstar and single nod of acceptance from him.

Oakclaw's expression was curious, eyes casually darting from her, Lilypaw, and then behind them.

"How's he been eating?" he suddenly asked.

Lilypaw and her glanced at each other confused before it clicked. Sagepaw. He was asking about Sagepaw.

"Okay, I guess," Lilypaw replied. "He'll usually take a few bites of whatever I or Fernleaf bring him, but no more than that. Some days it's hard to get him to eat anything."

Hollypaw detected a faint note of despair slip in her voice near the very end, which didn't go unnoticed by just her. Oakclaw's gaze drifted from the apprentice den and now rested solely on Lilypaw.

"You're concerned about him," he stated lightly before glancing back to the den. "I'll do you a favor and go and speak to him, Lilypaw. Would that help make you feel a bit better?"

It could be the casualness in which he'd offered, some sort of self-importance in being the new deputy on his part, or just the plain fact that she didn't like him, but whatever it was sent Hollypaw's blood spiking.

Talk? What's that going to do? she thought angrily. Not a single cat before him had been able to do a thing for Sagepaw. Not his mentor, the medicine cat, or even any of his friends.

"What are you going to do?" Lilypaw asked. She sounded hesitant to agree, yet equally nervous of offending the warrior.

"Only talking, I promise," he replied. "His dilemma hasn't been easy to handle and it's important to be mindful of that. Sagepaw is strong and afterwards he'll be an even stronger cat because of this. He has to be."

There was an oddness to the way he finished. 'He has to be'. Before she had a chance to consider the implications another call from Roseblossom jostled her mind back to the present.

"You two probably shouldn't keep her waiting," Oakclaw said. "With Leaf-bare essentially gone it's important you apprentices stay focused. Your warrior ceremonies aren't far off. You should start prepping for the final assessment."

Final assessment? Her mind had been so preoccupied lately with a multitude of others things that she hadn't been aware the time of them being apprentices was fast approaching its end. The fact it was Oakclaw telling them this also made her highly suspicious. A cat like him who kept so many secrets wouldn't mention this if there wasn't some sort of trick to it.

Passing by, she shot Oakclaw a sideways glance. Redpaw's kin. Just how long had he kept it a secret from him? His demeanor was the same as usual, calm and carefree. Did he even care that Redpaw was still in the medicine den? So much about him was a walking contradiction.

She knew for a fact that he had purposely made Redpaw's time as an apprentice difficult. He came across as this aloof character, but when Redpaw had gone missing he'd personally went, found, and brought him back. Was it fear of being blamed for his possible death? Crowstar more or less seemed to blame him for Redpaw originally running away. He was also the only cat to speak up and volunteer to mentor him, however. Despite the flippant behavior, could he actually have some genuine attachment to his litter mate's only kit?

They went hunting afterwards, joining Roseblossom and a few other warriors, but it largely went by in a blur for Hollypaw. It was difficult for her to concentrate much on the task itself. Her thoughts lie splintered off in a cobweb of different directions. Redpaw, Sagepaw, Falconpaw and the others, her final assessment, and of course Oakclaw.

Truth be told, even knowing that their final assessment was on the horizon, she couldn't recall the last time she'd genuinely felt like an actual apprentice. So much of what she'd had to deal with over the last three moons alone made it feel as though she'd already made that transition into being a warrior a long time ago.

Around sunhigh their group returned to camp laden with prey. It'd been a surprisingly fruitful patrol, each cat returning with at least two pieces of prey to their name. They loaded the thinning freshkill pile to brimming–a first since Leaf-bare originally began.

Lilypaw scoured over the pile before reaching in and grabbing a rather plump thrush for herself. Mouth full, she gave Hollypaw a quick farewell nod, and headed off for the apprentice den. There was no need to speculate why, her intentions were pretty transparent even without a single word.

Not particularly hungry herself, Hollypaw grabbed a small squirrel and plopped down to begin eating. Now that she wasn't restricted to her nest anymore she'd need to get back in contact with Falconpaw and the others. There was a lot they needed to discussion, not to mention checking in to see how well their Clans had fared with Leaf-bare.

In little time she'd reduced the squirrel to a collection of tiny bones. Digging up a bit of dirt, she swept the bones in a hole and covered them over, smacking the dirt flat. She was just finishing up when her ears twitched. Someone was calling her name.

"Hollypaw?"

She glanced up, spotting Fernleaf's head sticking out of the medicine den. The medicine cat's eyes were fixated on her. Hollypaw's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Was this it? She hurriedly scrambled to her paws and sprinted over towards her.

"Yeah?" she asked breathlessly.

Fernleaf gave a gentle smile. "Come on in. He's waiting for you."

Following behind Fernleaf back then inside the den, it's hard to put into words the sense of anxiety I felt at the time. Pinpointing an exact reason as to why isn't something I'm sure I can do, even now. My mind was a whirlwind of possibilities, wondering would you be happy to see me? Would I be happy to see you? Had things changed? Would it somehow be different between us? Were we still friends?

Fernleaf stepped aside to allow her access into the back den. She gave a quick dip of her in thanks to the medicine cat and walked pass. The first thing she noticed about the den was how well insulated it was. The room was decently warm with a soft scent of mint lingering in the air. The walls made it so only slight shafts of light were able to slither their way in, giving the entire place a dimly lit vibe.

In the middle of the room, sitting up in his nest, resided a ginger furred tom she hadn't seen in quite some time. He'd surprisingly gained a decent size of weight, which she hadn't expected. Since kithood Redpaw had always been on the scrawnier side in comparison to most toms, but not anymore. His body had filled out, adding mass behind his ginger coat and not just bone and muscle.

She made her way inside and sat down across from him, where they now stared at each other in silence. Time passed them by in steady, rhythmic beats of their respective hearts before she took the initiative and decided to speak first.

"Hey."

"Hey."

They continued staring at each other. Neither seemed sure of how best to proceed or what direction to take the conversation. What's the deal? Hollypaw furiously wondered. They'd never had such awkward interactions. It was like they were strangers or something! She rummaged around in her head for something to talk about, anything, before ultimately getting fed up.

Forget it! Since when am I the one to think things through? Just go for it! Do it!

Tossing away her reluctance, anxiety, and hesitation, Hollypaw began talking. She talked about anything and everything, consciously choosing not to put much thought into it. She let her mouth take charge, ranting of worries, past frustrations, wanting to know how he'd been, what he'd been up to, his life, and past.

Somewhere in the midst of her tirade, she reflexively reached out and cuffed him over the head. Momentarily reeling, Redpaw looked up at her, his face stretched in surprise.

"What was that for?" he asked, slightly stunned.

"For running away and worrying me!" she growled, shooting to her paws to stand above him. "Of all the cats to act like a mousebrain in this Clan, you're the last one I expected. How shortsighted, irresponsible, and clueless could you be!" For a brief heartbeat, she truly knew what it felt like to be Roseblossom when dealing with her. "You left without saying anything and I had no idea why you were gone. The entire Clan was up from sunrise to sunhigh looking for you with no trace. Sagepaw and I were convinced you'd left because of something one of us had said or done. If you were in trouble why didn't you say anything? Do you have bees in your brain or something? Are you just that much of a flea-brain?" she angrily demanded. "I know I'm busy with my own stuff, but if you need anything, I'm here. I'm always here."

Words continued slipping from her mouth one after the other. She had no filter. This had slowly been building up in her for awhile now.

"You could've died. You could've been buried over twenty foxlengths deep underneath snow and none of us would've found you until Newleaf. Do you understand? If you're thinking of doing something dumb, talk to someone! If there's nobody else you can trust, trust in me!" she stated emphatically. "I'm your friend, Redpaw. Always have been, always will be." And then she pressed her nose into the side of his face. "Take care of yourself. I mean it," she said, pulling back to stare him hard in the eyes.

Redpaw met her stare, briefly rendered speechless by the sheer intensity of her speech. A few heartbeats transpired wherein he seemed to gather his thoughts.

"I understand and I'm sorry," he said, dipping his head low enough to the ground that his nose nearly brushed it.

"I guess you're forgiven," she replied sternly, though it was halfhearted at best. "Pick your head up, there's more we have to talk about. I don't know how much Fernleaf has told you while stuck in here, but there's some stuff the two of us need to personally talk about."

And she told him. About all that had transpired Leaf-bare, about Sagepaw's current condition, her and Sagepaw's conversation with Crowstar, and lastly her discovery of his and Oakclaw's shared blood, though for the last bit she specifically left out how she'd directly come into possession of the information.

Redpaw absorbed all this with a casually blank expression, not even appearing remotely surprised at hearing her admit to knowing of his relation to Oakclaw.

"I guess I should give you the rest of the story then, huh?"

Hollypaw blinked. "What, just like that?"

Redpaw shrugged. "Why not? You already know half of it already."

"Won't you get in trouble? I mean–."

"Hollypaw, I want you to know," he said, cutting her off.

His gaze was steady as he held her's. Hearing the assurance in his voice she could do nothing other than nod. And so he told her, detailing the long and complicated history of his birth and the circumstances surrounding it. Even after mentally preparing herself for it, there were parts of the story that even took her by surprise on several occasions. It was a lot to swallow, and even more to properly process in one sitting.

"I'm sorry," were the first words to leave her mouth as she stared remorsefully at Redpaw. "I'm sorry that all happened, and I'm sorry I didn't do enough to help you feel more like you belonged because of it."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Hollypaw. It happened and that's that. I only want to move forward now and make a difference."

Make a difference?

"There's somewhere I want to take you," she immediately leaned forward and said. "Not now, you should focus on getting your rest, but would you come with me when I ask?"

"Okay." Redpaw agreed without reluctance.

"Good, you won't regret it, I promise," she replied with a grin. "Enough about that stuff though. We've got more important matters to discuss, like our final assessment! What do you think it's going to be? I was thinking something like a big free-for-all."

They chatted on from there, mostly about nothing in particular, with Hollypaw doing most of the talking while Redpaw listened. It was a return to form for them, at least partially.

I should've known something was off back then. You'd always been quiet, but never like that. Not like you were when we talked that entire day. There was something off and muted about your presence, like I was speaking to half of a cat and not the whole one sitting right in front of me. Things might be different now had I. If I'd never made that offer.