Badgerpaw dipped her head into the medicine den to see Willownose inside with Sparrowkit, who was whining loudly.

"It hurts," he mewled.

"Well then let me take it out," the she-cat responded, sounding irritated.

"But when you touch it it hurts more," Sparrowkit cried dramatically. His paw was held out, and Badgerpaw assumed he must have stepped on a thorn.

"Willownose?" Badgerpaw mewed hesitantly.

The she-cat turned to face her, frustration set deep across her features. "What is it?"

"Thistlepaw and I need some mouse bile for the elders," she meowed, hoping that the request wouldn't anger the short-tempered medicine cat.

"Alright then," she meowed. "It's just there. Don't get any in your mouth, and don't blame me if you do." She pointed with her tail. "Come on now, Sparrowkit, it'll feel better once you let me get it out."

Badgerpaw padded forward and found the moss tangled over the sticks. She wrinkled her nose, and grabbed the ends that weren't covered in the vile smell.

"Thanks," she mewed around the sticks.

"Birdpaw's in there, too," Willownose meowed as she padded out.

Thank StarClan, Badgerpaw thought, grateful to know that her friend would be in there with her.

She dropped one of the sticks in front of Thistlepaw, who picked it up ruefully and followed Badgerpaw to the elders' den.

When they entered, Birdpaw was beside Longclaw, chewing up some herbs into a poultice. She blinked at them in greeting, but her mouth was too full to speak.

"Come to help our ticks?" Russetpatch asked. "I've got one on my back that I can't reach. Would one of you get it?"

"There's one behind my ear that I can't get," Duststripe added.

"I'll wait my turn," Longclaw mewed. "I've been hogging Birdpaw, after all."

"You're not hogging her," Russetpatch purred teasingly. "It's just that not all of us have cracking pads like you, you old badger."

Badgerpaw reached around Duststripe's head and dabbed the moss on the large, round tick. It fell off of him and she crushed it with her claw, and set the stick down. "Better?"

Duststripe sighed in relief. "Much, thanks."

Badgerpaw began looking through his short coat to see any more ticks hiding within, cracking them with her teeth. Thistlepaw was doing the same.

Birdpaw had finished chewing the poultice and was smearing it on Longclaw's pads. "This should help sooth them. Let me know if they're still hurting tomorrow."

"Thanks, Birdpaw," the old tom meowed, blinking gratefully. "It feels better already."

"Hey, Badgerpaw! Thistlepaw!" Birdpaw meowed. "Do you want me to help with the ticks, since I'm here?"

"That'd be great, thanks," meowed Thistlepaw.

"But it's our turn to do it," Badgerpaw meowed. "You don't have to, if Willownose will need you back."

Birdpaw shook her head. "Willownose won't mind."

"Well, if you're sure."

Birdpaw picked up the mouse bile and walked back over to Longclaw. "Alright then, where are those ticks?"

Once the three of them were finished, they left the elders den. They each went straight to their mentors to ask them for permission to eat, and they met back at the freshkill pile. Thistlepaw snatched up a mouse and went straight to the apprentices' den, where she sat down and started to talk animatedly to Palepaw and Harepaw.

"Do you want to share something?" Badgerpaw asked. "There's a squirrel that I wouldn't be able to finish myself."

"Sure," Birdpaw meowed.

They grabbed the prey and settled down to eat.

"You seem tired today," Birdpaw meowed. "Is everything okay?"

"You're not?" Badgerpaw asked skeptically. "We were at the gathering last night. We didn't get back until after midnight."

"I was just asking," Birdpaw meowed, sounding a bit hurt by Badgerpaw's tone. The black and white she-cat winced.

After a few moments, Badgerpaw meowed, "Well, I did have a weird dream."

"Oh?"

I shouldn't worry her, Badgerpaw thought. It was just a dream.

But Badgerpaw suddenly found herself describing the nightmare, with Breezekit and how him dying was her fault and how there was something wrong about her and Thistlepaw.

Birdpaw was silent for a moment before speaking. "Have you had that dream before?" she questioned. "Did you recognize Breezekit?"

"I've seen him before in another dream," Badgerpaw meowed. "About half a moon ago, now. But I never saw Breezekit when he was alive."

"What did he look like in the dream?"

Badgerpaw furrowed her brow, pulling at her mind for the dream. "A bit like Cloudflower, I suppose," she mewed. "A small, white tabby."

Birdpaw's expression was unreadable. "That's how I remember him, when the Clan grieved."

"Could it have been my fault?" Badgerpaw asked. "Could I have done something to hurt him, or cause him to die when we were born?"

"I don't think that you could have done anything directly to cause it, no," Birdpaw mewed, sounding thoughtful. "After all, you were a newborn, too."

Badgerpaw sighed. "It was just so… unsettling," she mewed.

"Maybe I should ask Willownose," Birdpaw meowed. "She knows more about dreams than I do."

"You shouldn't bother her with this," Badgerpaw mewed quickly. "It was just a dream. It's not like it was actually sent by StarClan. I'm not a medicine cat."

"If you're certain," Birdpaw meowed, though she had this look in her eye, like she was thinking hard about something important.

They ate the rest of the squirrel in silence.