"Ouch!" Swamppaw yelped in pain as Gravelfur put pressure on her wound with cobwebs. Tornfoot had deposited her at the medicine cat's den before leaving to attend to his other duties.
"How did you get this cut anyways?" asked Gravelfur.
Swamppaw's ears fell in embarrassment. "I was trying to climb the tree and I got snagged between the branches. When I jumped down, one of them cut me." Of course she referred to the only tree in Bogclan's territory.
"And why were we climbing the tree?"
"Ah, well. I was... practicing tree-climbing."
She bet he was mentally making fun of the silly apprentice. Tree-climbing- Ha! Gravelfur finished applying the cobwebs in thoughtful silence and escorted her to a bed of moss and grass with instructions to rest for a short while.
"Where's Stonepaw?" asked Swamppaw curiously. Usually the older apprentice decorated Gravelfur with his presence almost constantly.
"He's collecting herbs with the hunting party. I like to let him do that. I'm getting too old for such things." It was true. The medicine cat was in the same generation as Whitefur, Longear, and Rockripple: the elders.
"What about Tornfoot?" asked Gravelfur.
"What about him?"
"I would have expected him to be here attending you. Since he got you as his apprentice, I don't think I've seen him away from your side."
"He said that he was needed with the border patrol party."
"Hmm." Gravelfur idly sorted some herbs. "I do believe that the border patrol party was already full. Do you think he may just feel guilty?"
"Guilty?" Swamppaw's eye widened. "Why would he feel guilty?"
Gravelfur shrugged. "Well first you almost drown, then you fall from the tree. He's your mentor, if I were him I would feel inadequate. Not to say that Stonepaw's never been injured before, but I do feel bad everytime."
Swamppaw was about to answer, but was interrupted by a loud meow outside: "Specklestar!"
"Speaking of Tornfoot," Gravelfur remarked, "It seems he has departed from his patrol early with some news."
The two cats peeked out to see the commotion. Tornfoot and Grasswhisker were accompanied by a group of four strange cats.
"Are they from another clan?" asked Swamppaw.
Gravelfur breathed in deeply. "They don't smell like Bushclan or Tunnelclan."
Swamppaw sniffed the air herself. From them she caught whiffs of smoke and something bitter. They smelled like the twoleg territory.
Specklestar emerged from her den, Fishheart as well. The two approached the party. "Who are these cats?" asked the leader.
One of the strange cats stepped forward with a polite bow of the head. She was light in color, but had one brown spot which seemed to be draped across her back. "I am Dreamspeaker. We hail from The Troupe."
Specklestar tilted her head. Her look was calculating. "Dreamspeaker. Where have I heard that name before?" She looked to Fishheart.
"Tunnelclan. She was exiled by Earthstar's predecessor Moorstar many seasons ago." The deputy addressed Dreamspeaker herself. "You may be glad to find that Moorstar is long deceased. He died in a flood. If you seek passage to Tunnelclan, I'm sure Tornfoot and Grasswhisker would be happy to escort you there."
Tornfoot flicked his tail back and forth, showing just how un-exuberant he was about the situation. Grasswhisker just licked his own shoulder a few times, seeming nonchalant about the whole thing.
"I do not seek Tunnelclan specifically. I just want to notify you that The Troupe will be securing territory around here. My comrades and I will search for land around the clans. We will not steal any territory, I assure you."
"Who is your leader?" asked Specklestar.
"I am the leader."
"You do not affiliate with Deadclan anymore?"
"They have not spoken to me since I left, no. It's possible that they dislike me. Perhaps it is because they could not find me so far from these lands. I have only one life, but I intend to use if for the good of The Troupe."
Silverwhisper had known of the group, Swamppaw reasoned that some Deadclan cats must have found her.
Specklestar paced for a bit. "This is somewhat problematic. There isn't very much land left for you, I have to say. The land beyond Tunnelclan and Bushclan is very rocky. There is prey, but you will also find that there are lizards and snakes. Past that stretch is a small, flat plain punctuated by trees. I invite you to settle in those areas- if you can tame them."
"There is a full moon tomorrow," stated Dreamspeaker. "Allow us to spend the night so that we may attend the gathering."
"Do you think that you are in any position to demand anything of us?"
"Request. Please allow us to spend the night." Dreamspeaker bowed, deeply this time. The three other cats did as she, closing their eyes, sitting, and dipping their noses to the ground.
Clearly amused by the show of subservience, Specklestar spoke. "You may spend the night."
"Tornfoot, Grasswhisker," Fisheart called. "Take Snakeshadow and Frogpaw to collect grass. Let's make our visitors comfortable."
Dreamspeaker and her group stood now. "May we hunt? We have traveled a long way."
Specklestar indicated with her tail the space across from the medicine den. "You may eat from the freshkill pile."
"Specklestar is very nice," said Swamppaw.
"Yes," answered Gravelfur. "She also wants to stay on their good side. If another group is coming, it would be best to not be enemies. The territory she recommended to them does not share any borders with ours. If she was speaking truly from the kindness of her heart, she would have suggested a much nicer land closer to us."
"Is there one?"
"Yes, if you go to the edge of our territory by the border of Tunnelclan, there is much a lusher area. It would be ideal for them not to settle there however, because that would put us in the center of three groups. Specklestar is being nice, but not too nice. That's what it means to be a leader. We must make decisions in the interest of our clan before others."
Was it so? It seemed that Swamppaw had some thoughts to crunch as she rested from her injury.