As the sun dipped to the horizon, Softpetal exited her nest, shaking out her fur. The two apprentices tried their best to not show their anxiety at what was to come. She glanced over them, then padded out of the den.

The two apprentices immediately stood up. "Get ready," Swiftpaw meowed softly, her voice shaking a bit. They were both terrified. Who knew what would happen if they were actually caught doing this? Emberpaw shook that thought from his head. He didn't need any distractions to lessen his performance. He went over to the wall, where little dents in the nest provided storage for the herbs. His eyes roamed around and he grabbed at random, pulling out a broad, dark green leaf.

Emberpaw placed it on the ground and sniffed it, trying not to recoil at its strong scent. He opened his mouth, but only hovered over the herb, posing for when Softpetal returned. It was sure to guaruntee a big reaction. He could hear Swiftpaw prepare as well, but didn't dare turned his head in case the medicine cat returned.

The air hung around both of them, suffocating them with tension. His heart pounded in his chest, and he could hear it in his ears. Suddenly, he picked up on the sound of pawsteps. Emberpaw tensed his body.

He heard a soft thud against the ground. Fresh-kill. "What is the name of StarClan are you doing?" The medicine cat screeched.

Emberpaw whirled around, flattening his ears to his head and adopting a guilty expression. "I-uh- I was just hungry and..."

"Hasn't you mother taught you anything?" She stalked closer, leaving what looked like a small green bundle on the ground. The medicine cat's fur was spiked along her spine, and her lips were drawn back. Her cream tail lashed back and forth. "How much did you eat?"

Emberpaw lowered himself to the ground in submission, actually fearing the she-cats rage. "Er-I just-"

"Spit it out!" She snapped. "If you swallowed the wrong thing, it could kill you." Emberpaw saw Swiftpaw rush over to the green thing and start poking it. He forced his eyes away, determined to not give his friend away.

Impatient, she-cat pushed past him and looked at the leaf on the ground. "Did you eat this? It doesn't look like you took a bite."

"No, I was just about to when you walked in," he meowed, hoping to StarClan Swiftpaw was almost done.

She huffed, tension draining out of her. She picked up the leaf gently between her teeth, and set it back down in the space Emberpaw had got it from. "You're lucky I came in at the time that I did." She turned her head, giving him a fierce look. Emberpaw hoped his prayer worked and that Swiftpaw was standing where she last was. "Did you eat anything?" Softpetal said, directing her attention to his friend. Please be back, please be back. Emberpaw looked back as well, as to his relief she was indeed where she was supposed to be, her eyes round.

"No, I didn't go near that wall." She stammered, body shaking slightly.

"At least you have more sense." The medicine cat sighed. "Although, I can understand your desperation. You've been asleep for two sunrises, and haven't had anything to eat yet. Blizzardstar ordered that you werent to deplete ShadowClan of any more resources than you already have, which includes fresh-kill." She looked towards the entrance of the den, as if scared that a cat would be standing there listening. "But I can't just stand around while my patients wither away. Even if they're as rude as you are," she said pointedly to Emberpaw. "So that's why I brought you this frog to share. Nobody will think twice about me getting some fresh-kill to eat. But you two need it more than I do."

Emberpaw froze, the blood draining away from his face. "That-that fresh-kill...is for us?" He choked out.

Softpetal nodded. He tore his gaze away and looked at Swiftpaw. Her eyes were wide and filled with panic, probably a mirror of his own.

StarClan, help us...