Rose knew now that she had to return to the Clans to stop a big battle from occuring, but she did not expect how she would do so. Thinking wasn't required though because the answer to her problems came across her path on her way out of Highstones. Little did Rose know that a pair of watchful eyes surveyed her from a distance in the shadows.
Rose walked on. She also knew that she couldn't leave her kits alone for much longer. She had never left Pinekit and Tanglekit this log before, and with the constant fear of ShadowClan weighing her down, she could not bear to leave her precious kits for any longer than a ingle night. Were they still okay?
Suddenly a cat appeared from nowhere and stood in front of her, studying her with pale blue eyes. Rose recognized the ShadowClan medicine cat immediately by his pointed, wide-set ears and froze. It was Mallowfur, one of the many cats who she wished to never see again. She would have turned to flee if she wasn't curious to what Mallowfur had to say. Maybe StarClan sent her to lead her to the camp and make peace.
Mallowfur looked her up and down as if trying to remember who she was. "Rosedapple, is that you? Yes, that is you, right?"
Rose dug her claws in the damp earth to sustain her trembling. "Yes, Mallowfur. It is me."
"What are you doing back here? You must leave. Hurry before Meadowstar comes," Mallowfur hissed and wearily looked around.
"Meadowstar?"
She nodded. "Shalestar died a few nights ago from a fox when he went hunting alone in the forest. Meadowwind has succeeded him and took on the name Meadowstar. I am escorting her to the Moonstone. Hurry and leave. You were never here."
Rose felt a rush of gratitude to her old friend. She used to play with Mallowfur in the nursery when they were both kits. Mallowfur always dreamed of becoming a medicine cat ever since the previous medicine cat healed her when she got whitecough as a kit, and the two of them would play with whatever herbs they could find growing around camp to heal injuries from a vicious fox attack or RiverClan raid, or whatever other dangers they wanted. They have always been close friend even when both took different paths in life. Yes, it was time to leave before Meadowstar came.
Rose nodded gratefully to Mallowfur and turned to run but a sharp voice unlike Mallowfur's soft voice split through the night. "Stop!"
Meadowwind, or Meadowstar now was a large ginger cat who had served as Shalestar's deputy for many moons before Rose was even born. She had always respected the experienced warrior, and was no doubt the obvious choice for the responsibility of deputy. She stood much taller than the small medicine cat and her tail was fluffed out challengingly.
"Greetings, Meadowstar. Mallowfur told me you are leader now. Congratulations," Rose said evenly and dipped her head respectfully.
"Rosedapple. Yes, I am sure we all remember your accomplishments," Meadowstar replied with heavy scorn in her voice that made Rose feel sick to her stomach. "Perhaps you have forgotten that you've been banished? Is that why you are stumbling over here like a mouse in my paws?"
"I am in Highstones, not in Clan territory," Rose pointed out.
"Perhaps you have been banished from Clan territory as said in the Gathering, but to ShadowClan your banishment expands much further than that, Rosedapple," Meadowstar purred.
"I go by Rose now."
Mallowfur gave her a sympathetic glance.
"Living as a loner now I assume? I don't blame you for stripping yourself of such an awful burden. After all, we still do remember your accomplishments. Do I have to review them with you?"
Rose shook her head. "No."
"Where is Darkclaw, that ThunderClan warrior? Maybe is you call him he will come and roll over at your paws," the new ShadowClan leader pressed on.
Rose gritted her teeth and restrained herself from leaping on Meadowstar and avenging her mate, but she still had to get away from Clan territory with her limbs intact. "You know very well what happened to Darkclaw."
"Oh yes. I remember now. That is one less traitor in the forest, but there is still one that remains," Meadowstar meowed and glared at Rose with hatrid. "Yes, because of you many loyal cats had to die. Many went to hunt with StarClan long before their time."
Rose avoided her hateful glare and kneaded the ground with her paws. "I don't want any trouble. I will just be going now and you will never hear from me again. I must return to my kits."
Meadowstar took an aggressive step forward, clearly objecting to the idea. "Nonsense. Why such a hasty retreat? I am sure you would much rather follow us back to camp to greet your old friends again, wouldn't you?"
For the first time since Meadowstar came Mallowfur stood between her Clan leader and Rose. "Meadowstar, we should just let her go. She has nowhere to go, and she has to et back to her kits. She hasn't stolen any prey or anything like that," she insisted in Rose's defense.
"You wish it could ed like that, Rose, but unfortunately it has just got too complicated for that. There is no room for traitors in this forest, especially the traitors that are responsible for the deaths of their own Clan mates."
Rose backed up, but a large tree trunk blocked off her escape. "It wasn't my fault..."
"Yes, it was, my friend. There is no point tossing around the blame game anymore. Mallowfur."
At her leader's cue Mallowfur hesitantly approached Rose, her gentle blue eyes downcast.
At Mallowfur's hesitation Meadowstar only seemed amused. "Go ahead."
As much as it pained Mallowfur, she lifted a paw, unsheathing her claws and aimed for Rose's face, all the while fighting back the urge to help her old friend. Rose backed up as far as she could and closed her eyes, waiting for those sharp claws to score down her face, but the stinging sensation never came. She opened an eye and still saw Mallowfur frozen in place, studying her own claws like she couldn't believe she was about to use them to hurt her friend.
"I understand, Mallowfur. You can't hurt our precious visitor. Very well, but Rose is coming back to the ShadowClan camp with us. Go without a fight and no harm will come to you," Meadowstar said and came up to Rose's side.
"But...what about my kits?" Rose's voice came out as only a pitiful squeak.
"I am sure they will be fine. They are older than when I last saw them," Mallowfur meowed, trying to sound reassuring but failing miserably.
The three of them disappeared back into the trees away from Highstones where ShadowClan territory stretched ahead. Rose knew that there was a possible chance she would never see Highstones again. Or Ginger, Lila, her kits, or anything else again for that matter. She followed Mallowfur and Meadowstar resentfully, going to face justice at last.
