Written by Cloudysky
The following morning, Mudwhisker and Jazzstar watched as the warriors chosen by Whiteflower assembled in the middle of the camp, their pelts gray in the pre-dawn light. Whiteflower herself was among them, and as Mudwhisker waited, Beechstar emerged from his den on the Highledge and bounded down the rocks that led up to the ledge to join them.
"Are we all ready to go?" he asked Whiteflower in a low voice, his face somber.
"We are," responded Whiteflower. "Our warriors are Stormwing, Stonepelt, Redfur, Fawnskip, Bumbleflight, Shadeleaf, and Icepool, and you."
Beechstar nodded in understanding. "All right," he said. Raising his voice slightly to address the gathered cats, he added, "We are going to meet with Ivystar and some of her warriors at the place where our Twolegpaths meet in order to fight the rogues that have been bothering ShadowClan and may well come to bother us. We're not aiming to kill them - we just want to scare them off and make them understand that this area is ours, and that if they want to attack our Clans, they are going to pay the price!"
Though it was early and most of the cats were trying to stay quiet and avoid waking their Clanmates, a slow murmuring of approval broke out among the gathered warriors - the equivalent of yowls of agreement. Mudwhisker couldn't help letting out a snort at the quiet murmuring.
"Let's go, then, to meet Ivystar," Beechstar said, turning and heading toward the entrance to the camp. When he reached it, though, a quiet mew from behind him caught his attention. He turned to look, and saw the light-colored pelt of Sunstripe, standing at the entrance to his den. Whiteflower had walked over to his side and was standing next to him.
"Good luck, Beechstar," Sunstripe meowed. "May StarClan be with you."
Beechstar nodded once, and then turned again to face the entrance to the camp. Taking a deep breath, he pushed his way through the tunnel, and the assembled cats filed through after him.
"How does the battle go?" Mudwhisker asked, hesitantly. This wasn't what he was here to see - Jazzstar had brought him here to watch Nightblaze's life - but he couldn't help but be curious.
"Let's find out," said Jazzstar, and before Mudwhisker could say anything else the scene shifted, and Mudwhisker found himself staring at a clearing in the woods - one he recognized well: the part of the border where both Clans' Twolegpaths met.. Seeing it made his blood boil - this was one place where he had battled ShadowClan before, as an apprentice. Here, though, there were no yowling cats fighting among the grass, no blood stains turning the forest floor red, no unmoving bodies scattered around the clearing. Instead, there were simply two groups of cats, acting cool around each other but clearly not enemies, and two leaders, talking as friends at one side of the clearing.
"You said the camp was north of your territory," said Beechstar, looking thoughtful.
"I'm not sure exactly where," responded Ivystar, and Mudwhisker thought he caught a hint of embarrassment in the ShadowClan leader's voice. "I asked Redcloud, one of our best trackers, to see if he could tell where the rogues' camp was located based on the scents around the border. But they are everywhere. It looks as though the rogues really do wander the entire area north of our territory."
"That's a problem," Beechstar said, his voice a low rumble. "Without any better idea of where they are, this means that we have to go searching for the camp, which gives the rogues the chance to get the jump on us - not to mention, even if we do find them before they find us, we will be fatigued from searching."
"My thoughts exactly, Beechstar," Ivystar agreed, lowering her head. "In that case, maybe -"
It seemed that Beechstar knew what she was going to say, for his fur fluffed up in defiance. "No," he interrupted. "We came here to find the rogues and drive them away. That's what we're going to do."
Ivystar looked at Beechstar. Her pale green gaze was thoughtful. "All right, Beechstar," she finally said. "No, you're right. We have to do this. For the sake of my Clan if nothing else." Her eyes were now burning with an anger that Mudwhisker hadn't seen her with before, even after she had explained the death of one of her Clan's apprentices. She got to her paws and nodded to Beechstar before the two leaders, in an unspoken agreement, headed back to where the rest of their Clan warriors were gathered.
"We're going," Ivystar announced abruptly. "Everyone, be on the lookout for any scent trails that you think might lead to their camp. Redcloud, you especially need to be paying attention. Hailcloud, be wary of any cat taking us by surprise. Give the battle call if you scent any rogue approaching us."
Ivystar's gaze was locked on a big white tom, who nodded as she spoke. "You can count on me, Ivystar," he replied in a low grumble. Ivystar nodded back.
"All right," she said, "let's go." It was an order, but Mudwhisker couldn't help but feel that she was addressing herself just as much as she was addressing the assembled warriors.
The two Clans' warriors trekked through the forest at the northern edge of ShadowClan territory. Mudwhisker let out a shiver, despite himself: the last time he had been anywhere close to ShadowClan territory was during the battle that had cost him his life, and he was not too pleased to be back in the enemy's territory - even if it was as a StarClan cat, and even if it was in a time before he had even been born. Jazzstar, however, did not seem to have any such reservations. She pushed on, following the party without so much as a glance back at Mudwhisker, so Mudwhisker had to swallow his pride and follow her.
Beyond ShadowClan's northern border, the forest seemed to continue indefinitely, though it was hillier than the territory immediately surrounding the lake, and the trees were fewer. Mudwhisker wondered to himself how many Clan cats had ever come this far out of the borders before. They trekked for longer than he would have expected, as well; the sun was beginning to poke through the trees when suddenly -
"I smell something," Ivystar said suddenly, stopping in her tracks.
"It's the scent of the rogues!" commented another ShadowClan warrior, his hackles rising. "Their scent is coming toward us on the wind."
"That's a terribly strong scent," Beechstar murmured, his voice low. "Ivystar, how many rogues did -"
Beechstar never finished his sentence. Instead, a screech rang out over the forest, and a voice called, "Go! BloodClan! Attack!" Mudwhisker looked toward the source of the voice, though he couldn't see anything... until, suddenly, he saw several cats pouring over the edge of the hill, down toward the Clans' party. Five... ten... fifteen... they have at least twenty cats, Mudwhisker realized with a sudden, horrible sense of dread. Though they were taken by surprise, the Clan cats quickly reacted to their presence, dropping into battle stances and preparing to fight as a throng of cats moved down the hillside and attacked the Clans' party.
It took all Mudwhisker had not to attempt to leap into battle himself as the cats began to fight. The Clans were horribly outnumbered, and Mudwhisker wasn't sure if either Beechstar or Ivystar had realized it yet. He wanted desperately to call out, to tell them that they were fighting a losing battle, but there was no point to it, and Mudwhisker despaired as the battle raged around him.
He jumped back with a hiss - reacting instinctively; of course he did not need to move - as Beechstar and one of the rogues rolled by right near him. Beechstar was fighting valiantly, using some of the very same moves Mudwhisker had seen him use in his fight with Nightpaw the day before, but the rogue was ruthless - and Mudwhisker realized with an even more profound sense of horror that these rogues weren't just fighting, they were fighting to kill.
"Beechstar -!" he shouted, before remembering that he couldn't be heard. Instead, he looked over to where Jazzstar was standing a few tail-lengths away; the ginger she-cat's face was expressionless as she watched the fight.
A yowl close to Mudwhisker made him jump, and he looked back at the battle. It was a ShadowClan cat, yowling in pain as a rogue bit down on her foreleg. She tried to shake him off, but even as she did, another rogue leaped at her and landed on her back; the she-cat fell underneath the other cat's weight.
They're too badly outnumbered, thought Mudwhisker. Oh, StarClan, no...
He was spared, however, from having to witness the outright destruction of two Clans' most battle-ready warriors, for suddenly, a much louder yowl was sounding above the sounds of battle.
"We're outnumbered!" yowled the voice, which Mudwhisker recognized as Beechstar. "Ivystar! We have to retreat! Everyone! ThunderClan! ShadowClan! Retreat!"
It seemed that most of the Clan cats wanted to do that; within mere moments the Clan cats were disengaging themselves from the rogues and running off - though Mudwhisker noticed some of them were limping and, even worse, that some Clan cats were laying on the ground, injured, unmoving, and unable to get to their paws and retreat with the rest of the Clan warriors. Mudwhisker's heart sank as he realized what this meant for those who were left behind.
The scene shifted, and Mudwhisker found that he was in the middle of the ThunderClan camp. Around him, the warriors whose valiant fight he had witnessed that same morning sat or stood. Almost all of them were bleeding or injured in some way. Sunstripe was rushing around, tending to the cats who needed help, while Beechstar was sitting a short distance away from the group, looking at the ground blankly.
As Mudwhisker watched, Whiteflower padded up to him. "It's not your fault," she said reassuringly, though Beechstar turned his head away from his deputy in a manner that suggested to Mudwhisker that her words rung hollow. "Ivystar underestimated the danger. Not you. You have nothing to feel guilty for."
At this, Beechstar turned to face his deputy, his eyes filled with sadness. "Stonepelt died," he said, his voice cracking with grief on the second word. "My son, Whiteflower!"
Mudwhisker winced at the force of Beechstar's words; he noticed, though, that Whiteflower did not so much as move a whisker, and wondered to himself how she could be so stoic in the face of Beechstar's words. "He gave his life defending his Clan," she meowed evenly. "He knew the risks, and he chose to participate in the battle anyway. Beechstar - he chose to fight, even knowing how badly the rogues had hurt ShadowClan cats before. It's not your fault."
"You don't understand," said Beechstar, his voice cracking again. "You haven't had kits."
Whiteflower's tail twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Maybe not," she replied calmly, her voice steady and betraying no evidence that she had reacted to Beechstar's words. "Maybe I can't understand what it's like to have to lose a kit. But - you're not the only one who has, Beechstar."
Beechstar sighed. "I know," he said, turning to face Whiteflower. "That doesn't lessen the pain."
"No," Whiteflower agreed. "Only time can heal that wound."
Beechstar looked at Whiteflower curiously. "You sound like a medicine cat," he said. "Are you sure you didn't miss your calling as Russetleaf's apprentice?"
"I walked my own path," Whiteflower said stiffly, looking away from Beechstar. "It has led me to be deputy of ThunderClan, and I couldn't be more pleased that I am."
Beechstar stared at Whiteflower for a long moment. "You're the best deputy ThunderClan could ask for," he said finally.
"Come," said a voice, and Mudwhisker jumped as Jazzstar spoke. "This is the all we need to see of the day of the battle."
"W-what?" Mudwhisker stammered. "But - what happened with the rogues? And ShadowClan? Did -" He stopped as Jazzstar turned away impatiently.
"The Clan trains ever harder in response," she explained, "but ultimately, the next confrontation with the rogues would not come for several moons. They were injured too, and they lost some of their warriors. While recovering, they lessened their attacks on ShadowClan, and made no attempt to interfere with ThunderClan. Stonepelt's death wasn't in vain." Her eyes were fiery as she said the last statement, and Mudwhisker got the feeling she was trying to convince herself as much as him. When she turned back to face Mudwhisker, though, all evidence of her anger had faded, to be replaced with the weariness of a thousand moons.
"Let's see what Nightpaw gets up to," she said, and before Mudwhisker could respond, he found himself in the ThunderClan camp - again - only this time, it appeared to be late greenleaf instead of newleaf, as it had been when he and Jazzstar had first traveled to the ThunderClan camp.
"Three moons have passed," Jazzstar explained. "No other cat lost a life as a result of the battle."
That's good to hear, thought Mudwhisker. Without saying anything else, Jazzstar led the way to the apprentices' den. "Nightpaw has an... interesting... episode this morning," she explained, "one that kind of sets the tone for a fair few events in her future." Mudwhisker found that he wasn't sure whether to feel excited about seeing this or dread it. What did I get myself into?! he wondered.
In the apprentices' den, Nightpaw was sleeping on the moss. As Mudwhisker watched, Stormwing padded up to the den, poked his head inside, and said softly, "Nightpaw, wake up. It's time for the dawn patrol."
Nightpaw jumped up, fur standing on end, and looked around in what appeared to Mudwhisker to be abject terror. "Oh my gosh, who was that?!" she spat, glazed eyes seemingly missing Stormwing's presence as they scanned the den. Beside her, Lakepaw rolled over and muttered something about needing to get away from Nightpaw's loudness.
"Oh m- huh? I-it's me, Stormwing," replied Stormwing, clearly confused at Nightpaw's overreaction. Nightpaw got to her paws and stared at Stormwing.
"Oh my gosh, Graystripe, what do you want?" she asked, her ears flat back against her head. Her eyes were glazed over, and Mudwhisker could tell she was having another ... episode.
"Graystr - No, Nightpaw, I'm Stormwing, remember? You're set to go on the dawn patrol with me and Beechstar..."
"Oh my gosh, Graystripe, that's so nice of you!" Nightpaw responded. Stormwing looked confused, his expression accurately reflecting how Mudwhisker was feeling. Just what is she thinking Stormwing said to her? he wondered. "But Firestar already asked me."
"... Yes, I know, Firest- uh, Beechstar - is the one who told you that we'd be going on the dawn patrol yesterday," Stormwing said. "I'm well aware of the fact that he already spoke to you about it. Now, are you coming? Beechstar is going to claw your ears if we're late."
Nightpaw blinked.
"Oh my gosh, who was that?!" she said, her fur suddenly bristling again. Stormwing looked extremely taken aback.
"Nightpaw -"
"Oh my gosh, Graystripe, what do you want?" she asked. Stormwing blinked and then stopped responding to Nightpaw altogether. Despite his abject silence, Nightpaw continued, "Oh my gosh, Graystripe, that's so nice of you! But Firestar already asked me."
Mudwhisker turned to Jazzstar. "... She just repeated the same thing twice," he meowed, feeling even more confused than ever. "Is this -"
"That's the only time that ever happened," Jazzstar said. "No cat has any idea what resulted in that episode."
Weird. Mudwhisker shook his head and looked back to where Nightpaw was staring, still glossy-eyed, at a very, very confused and disturbed Stormwing.
"Why do you say that?" she asked Stormwing finally. Stormwing looked, for the briefest of seconds, relieved that she hadn't repeated herself yet again - only for his relief to be replaced with another round of confusion as he realized he hadn't even spoken to her this time.
"Nightpaw," he said, shaking his head, "we have to go meet Beechstar for the dawn patrol." He turned and padded away from the den, but Nightpaw didn't follow - instead, Stormwing (and Mudwhisker) flinched as Nightpaw's next words rang out loudly across camp.
"OH MY GOSH, YOU MEAN LIKE SCOURGE?!" she shouted. Stormwing, cringing, turned back to the den with a hiss.
"Nightpaw!" he spat. "Most of the Clan is still sleeping! Keep your voice down and come follow me to the entrance to camp already!"
Nightpaw, to Mudwhisker's astonishment, actually looked taken aback at Stormwing's words. "... Sorry!" she whispered, clearly internalizing Stormwing's statement about her loudness. "I'm coming, wait for me!" She left the den and padded alongside Stormwing to where Beechstar was sitting, looking mildly displeased, at the entrance to camp.
"She thinks I'm Graystripe and is off in her own world about it," Stormwing explained to Beechstar. Beechstar said nothing but nodded and gave Stormwing a glance to indicate he understood.
"She's here now," Beechstar said, his voice a low rumble. "Come on," he said, addressing both of them. "It's time to go on the dawn patrol."
Nightpaw followed obediently as Beechstar and Stormwing left camp. The three cats headed up through the entrance tunnel and into the forest. "We're going to the ShadowClan border first," Beechstar announced. Nightpaw nodded in understanding. Her eyes were clear again and there was a lucidity to them that starkly contrasted her wild-eyed expressions from earlier that morning. "But we are not going to attack any ShadowClan cats we see, all right, Nightpaw?" Beechstar said, looking at Nightpaw gravely. He clearly had not forgotten Nightpaw's aggression toward Ivystar from a few moons before.
"Okay," Nightpaw said in response. "They are our friends!"
For once, Beechstar didn't have an intelligent response, and Mudwhisker couldn't blame him. Nightpaw had made sense for once and been aware of her surroundings. It seemed like a miracle to Mudwhisker.
"It's not to last, though," said Jazzstar from Mudwhisker's side. "Unfortunately." The foreboding in her words unnerved Mudwhisker, who found himself apprehensively wondering what kind of craziness Nightpaw was about to spout.
Nightpaw was silent, though, as the three cats continued their journey to the ShadowClan border. It was fairly uneventful, as most patrols were - at least, until Nightpaw, fascinated by something in the sky that Mudwhisker could not see, fell face-first into a thorn bush.
She let out a screech and instantly began wriggling, attempting to extricate herself from the bush. Beechstar and Stormwing, who were a few steps ahead, turned in alarm when they heard Nightpaw's screech. The dark she-cat was stuck in the bush, though, and her wriggling was doing nothing but driving some of the barbs deeper into her fur.
"Hold still," Stormwing instructed with a growl as he padded back over to Nightpaw's side. Instantly Nightpaw stopped her wriggling, and Stormwing - probably in shock - hesitated for the slightest moment before grabbing Nightpaw's scruff in his jaws and pulling her back out of the thorns. She was bleeding from a few cuts on her head.
"You're bleeding," commented Stormwing matter-of-factly, and he gave her a couple quick licks on the head to clean off the blood. When Nightpaw raised her head again, Mudwhisker noticed that her eyes were glassy again...
"Well, maybe. But what would Firestar say?" she said, looking at Stormwing with skepticism.
"... What would I say to what?" Beechstar said in a low voice, looking at Nightpaw with a serious expression. Nightpaw, however, did not so much as acknowledge her leader and mentor's existence. She was fixated on Stormwing.
"OH MY GOSH, SURE THEN!" she suddenly shouted, and leaned forward to brush against Stormwing's leg. Both Stormwing and Beechstar froze.
"What in the name of StarClan is she -" Beechstar began, but he was interrupted by Nightpaw speaking again, seemingly not having noticed the interjection.
"Nothing, Firestar, go back to sleep!" she said, and this time she was looking at Beechstar, whom Mudwhisker suspected had only just appeared in her fantasy.
"... I wasn't sleeping," said Beechstar softly.
"Oh, okay," said Nightpaw, and this time she seemed to be responding to Beechstar. "You looked like you were. Anyway, yes."
Yes to what?! Mudwhisker thought. Nightpaw was maddening. He could only imagine how much worse it was for Beechstar and Stormwing at this point. He looked to them to see how they were responding - they were exchanging a glance.
For Nightpaw, though, their shared glance seemed to represent something else entirely. Her fur instantly stood on end and she ran between the two of them, casting angry glances at them. "Stop fighting already!" she hissed. "You can both be my mates."
Mudwhisker's blood ran cold. "That's what -"
"Delusions of grandeur," Jazzstar said, interrupting him. "She also had these ridiculously bizarre beliefs that every cat in the Clan was in love with her. ... No matter who they were or whether they had mates or whether they were moons and moons older than her," she added.
Mudwhisker looked back to the scene in front of him with a sort of sadness. There, Beechstar and Stormwing were exchanging a glance over Nightpaw's head.
"Beechstar," meowed Stormwing in a low voice, "you keep saying that Nightpaw is a talented hunter and fighter, and I don't disbelieve you, but even so... I don't know that she can become a warrior. Not like this."