Frostmask's paws pounded against the snow and she, Autumnleap, and Lizardpaw flew through the trees and back towards their camp. Frostmask breathed in rapid pants, the fur on her back bristling as the metallic tang of blood in the air grew stronger and stronger. The hot, out-of-place scent sliced through the cold night, leaving a clear trail for them to follow.
They were close to their camp now, and yowls echoed through the forest, making Frostmask's stomach lurch. There were voices she recognized— Darkpelt, Dustleap, Pineshade. Frostmask ground her teeth, hunching over and urging her paws to move faster.
She pulled ahead of Autumnleap and Lizardpaw. Her heart hammered hard, both to keep up with her legs and in response to the powerful instinct to fight that now seared in her bloodstream. Although Frostmask was still uncertain about what exactly was wrong, one thing seemed very clear— ShadowClan's camp was under attack.
Frostmask's lips curled up in a snarl as the dark trees parted around them and the thorn barrier came into view.
Righteous fury pulsed through her.
The barrier's tunnel drew closer.
How dare they attack my home.
She ducked under it now, the thorns raking her ears.
She would make them regret taking a single step onto ShadowClan's territory.
She burst into the camp to see a writhing mass of cats. The fishy reek of RiverClan hung heavily in the air as Frostmask rapidly took in the battle.
It was a mess.
ShadowClan had been caught thoroughly unprepared, and Frostmask could see many of her clan-mates were missing, likely out on patrols. It looked like a quick defense had been thrown up in front of the elder's den and the medicine cats', and Frostmask felt a quick jab of gratitude that the nursery was empty.
Then Frostmask wasted no more time, and she exploded in a blur of claws and fur onto the nearest unfamiliar pelt.
Frostmask raked her claws down a black tom's side, feeling a jolt of vicious satisfaction at the lines of red blood it left on his pelt. The blow sent him scurrying away, yowling. Behind her, Lizardpaw and Autumnleap screeched to a stop as they exited the tunnel. Both of their pairs of eyes were wide with shock as they took in the sight of their camp under attack by RiverClan.
Frostmask glanced back at Lizardpaw and felt a sudden jolt of fear as she imagined her young apprentice taking on battle-hardened warriors.
She bounded over to Lizardpaw's side, flicking her tail against his flank to get his attention. His eyes snapped towards her, panic clear in them. She signed quickly, flicking her tail from him to herself.
Stay close to me.
Some of the panic in his eyes dimmed, and he nodded, getting the message.
"Look out!" Autumnleap snarled as two enemy RiverClan warriors came barreling towards them.
Frostmask whirled around to face them. Moving together, she and Autumnleap split the enemies, he taking one and she the other.
Frostmask leapt onto a grey she-cat's back, hooking her claws deeply into her skin. Lizardpaw darted in, slashing his claws across the enemy's flanks while the she-cat snarled and buckled underneath Frostmask. The she-cat twisted her neck around, sinking her fangs deeply into Frostmask's ankle. Frostmask hissed in pain as blood flowed from the puncture wounds. She yanked her paw back, out of the she-cat's mouth, and caught sight of bright amber eyes in the grey-furred she-cat's snarling face. Frostmask's brow furrowed in sudden confusion, recognizing that distinctive gaze.
That's not a RiverClan warrior… that's Suneyes of SkyClan!
Frostmask didn't have time to wonder why the SkyClan warrior smelt like a RiverClan cat because Suneyes, noticing Frostmask's distraction, easily seized the opening. Before Frostmask could blink, Suneyes had fallen on her side, rolling to pin Frostmask beneath her.
Snake-dung!
Frostmask hissed like a trapped snake as Suneyes crushed her to the ground with her weight. But, Frostmask managed to keep her claws in the she-cat's pelt, and she pulled out big chunks of fur and sliced through skin even as Suneyes pinned her against the snow.
"Get out of my camp, Suneyes!" Frostmask yowled.
Suddenly Suneyes was yowling in pain. Lizardpaw was clinging to her side, her ear locked in a vicious bite. Lizardpaw released Suneyes, and Frostmask kicked her as hard as she could with her hind-legs, throwing the she-cat off of her. The SkyClan warrior staggered backwards a few tail-lengths, blood dripping on her forehead from the new tear in her ear. If this had been any other battle, at this point Frostmask would've let her opponent slink off while she found someone more formidable to fight.
Frostmask bared her fangs at the she-cat. But, this wasn't any other battle. This was ShadowClan's camp. And, Frostmask would not let Suneyes go until the she-cat was fleeing their territory with her tail between her legs.
Frostmask shot forward, her claws outstretched. Suneyes dodged back with a spat, and Frostmask's claws met only air. Frostmask landed back on all four paws before rearing up to bring her fore-paws slashing down towards the she-cat's head, but again, Suneyes was gone, and Frostmask's paws slammed against empty snow. Frostmask whirled back towards Suneyes with a frustrated snarl. The SkyClan warrior was quick, Frostmask would give her that much.
Suneyes shrunk backwards more, and Frostmask caught a flash of white fur behind her out of the corner of her eye— Lizardpaw circling for an opening.
Frostmask made sure not to move her gaze off of Suneyes, looking at him would give away his position, but she still flashed Lizardpaw a quick sign, dearly hoping that he was watching her. Suneyes had just enough time to blink at Frostmask in confusion about what she was doing with her paws, before Frostmask lunged forward again, and, as expected, Suneyes again danced back.
But this time, Lizardpaw slipped forward as Suneyes flashed back, and he whacked her hind-legs out from under her with a strong hit of his forepaws. Suneyes gasped as she stumbled, and that was all the hesitation Frostmask needed to leap onto the SkyClan warrior, muscling her to the ground with the help of Lizardpaw.
Frostmask felt a seething haze fill her mind as she swiped her claws through Suneyes pelt again and again while she writhed on the ground under her, wailing.
"Run away you pathetic feather-brain!" Frostmask hissed.
Frostmask finally stepped off of her, letting the she-cat up, but she didn't give Suneyes any room to recover. Instead Frostmask lunged forward, her lips curled back in a furious snarl as she herded Suneyes towards the thorn barrier.
Suneeyes got the hint. Pelt tattered and bleeding, Suneyes turned tail and fled out of the camp.
Frostmask felt the fur on her shoulders rise as, suddenly, a loud shriek slammed into her from behind. It wasn't a voice that she recognized, but somehow she knew it wasn't a SkyClan cat. The scream was unusual— there were no discernible words in the wailing. But, it also somehow felt familiar, and it made Frostmask's heart clenched in fear.
Frostmask whirled towards the voice, and she saw a dark brown tabby had pinned Lizardpaw. Silent Lizardpaw, who Frostmask had never heard make a noise besides some mewls and purrs, let out another loud heart-wrenching shriek as the tom shoved him harder against the ground and sunk his fangs into one of Lizardpaw's forelegs, bending the leg back at an awkward angle. Lizardpaw slashed at the tom's face with his free paw, clawing at his muzzle to try to free himself, but that seemed to just make the tabby more angry. He latched down harder on the leg, eliciting another wail from Lizardpaw.
"Get off of him!" Frostmask yowled, her mind dark with fury as she shot forward.
She barreled straight into the tabby's side, and his jaws opened, freeing Lizardpaw. She managed to knock him away from her apprentice, but the reckless attack left her vulnerable, and now she found herself in the tabby's claws instead. He was bigger than her, and he easily overwhelmed her with his strength, slamming her to the trampled snow. He dipped his head down towards her, a menacing, low growl rumbling in his throat.
Frostmask hissed back defiantly, kicking out with her free hind-legs to rake them down his underside, clawing at his unprotected belly, but she gasped as hot pain shot through her neck when the tom's jaws suddenly snapped shut. Luckily, his fangs hit her shoulder and the loose skin around her scruff instead of her throat, but rather than snapping quickly and releasing, the tom clamped down hard like he had done to Lizardpaw, grinding his teeth deeper into her flesh.
A high-pitched wail of pain escaped Frostmask's throat. She swiped her claws down his sides, and she pushed and writhed, doing everything in her power to get him off of her. But, her struggles were futile and focusing on them grew more and more difficult as pain and panic increased, eclipsing everything else.
She felt her own warm blood flowing through her chest fur.
Then out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of auburn.
"Autumnleap!" she yowled reflexively.
Only a heartbeat later he was there.
The SkyClan warrior's jaws opened in a gasp, and Frostmask's neck was free. Then his weight was suddenly gone from her all at once. Frostmask's eyes widened in shock. Autumnleap and the SkyClan tom were evenly matched in size, but he had somehow managed to wretch the tom off of Frostmask by his scruff.
Frostmask scrambled backwards on the ground, shakily gasping for breath. She pressed a paw to the puncture wounds in her neck, and she breathed a sigh of relief to find that the blood was seeping out, not gushing.
Autumnleap still had the SkyClan warrior by the back of the neck, holding him somewhere between his scruff and the base of his skull. The tabby's head was awkwardly ducked down beneath Autumnleap's jaws, but the tom still bucked, hissing non-stop as he tried to free himself. Autumnleap's golden amber eyes narrowed in cold fury. He yanked his muzzle around, pulling the tabby along with him and rattling the tabby's head until his eyes started to glaze over, and he stopped struggling. Then Autumnleap dug all four paws into the snow and threw his weight to the side, releasing the tabby as he did so. The brown tom flew several tail-lengths until his body made a dull thud against the snow.
He didn't move, and for a heartbeat, Frostmask thought Autumnleap killed him— severed the spinal cord that ran through the tabby's neck. But, then the brown tabby's tail twitched, and he began to slowly pull his unsteady paws back under his body. He wasn't dead, but he was clearly in no state to fight anymore.
"Are you alright?"
Autumnleap's panicked face came into view. The white-hot anger that had been in his eyes just moments before was now replaced with intense worry as he looked down at Frostmask's crumpled form.
Frostmask nodded, although her body was still shaky and the wounds burned fiercely.
"He missed anything vital," she said. "The bleeding's already slowing."
"Thank StarClan," Autumnleap gasped, bending over to press his face against hers.
Frostmask managed to get her trembling under control enough to raise herself back to her paws.
"Where's Lizardpaw?" she asked urgently, her brow furrowed as scanned the camp. "Is he okay?"
"Snakeeyes has him," Autumnleap said. "See, there."
Frostmask followed Autumnleap's gesture and exhaled gratefully as she spotted Lizardpaw's white pelt close to Snakeeyes' on the other side of the camp. He was limping but didn't seem critically injured, and Snakeeyes was sticking close to him. Lizardpaw would be safe with his mother watching over him, so Frostmask's gaze continued to scan the camp to assess the battle and search for more enemies. She stiffened when she saw Pineshade, Poolcloud, and Cricketpaw defending the elders' den. They were outnumbered by SkyClan four to three.
"It looks like Pineshade and Poolcloud need our help," Frostmask said, her muscles already tensing in preparation to launch herself across camp.
Autumnleap peered at her anxiously.
"Are you sure you can still fight?" he asked. "You could go to the medicine cats' den if you wan—"
Frostmask swiftly shook her head to cut him off. She glanced down at her blood stained chest.
"I'm fine," she said. "It looks worse than it is. I promise."
Autumnleap still looked worried, but he nodded.
"Alright," he said. "I've got your back."
Frostmask's neck wounds stung, but she pushed through the pain as the two of them ran across the clearing, dodging battling cats, until they reached the old pine stump that formed the elders' den. Poolcloud was fighting two cats at once, and Cricketpaw, who had no battle training at all, was very overwhelmed by the warrior who was after her. Cricketpaw seemed to be doing more dodging than fighting at the moment.
"I'll help Poolcloud, you get Cricketpaw," Frostmask panted.
Autumnleap gave a curt nod, then sprung towards Cricketpaw's attacker. Poolcloud was reared up on his back paws as he swatted at the enemy warriors, but even Poolcloud, as large as he was, couldn't hold off two cats forever.
Deciding that she should take a more careful approach to her attack this time, Frostmask darted in to deliver a swift slash down one of the cat's sides before springing back out of reach. The black and orange cat whirled toward her, snarling. Frostmask bared her fangs in response and shot forward with a flurry of swipes towards the cat's face. She landed a couple of blows before the warrior dodged, leaping over Frostmask. Frostmask whirled back towards them, her neck and shoulder wounds throbbing in protest.
Stupid SkyClan cats and their stupid jumping!
She lunged at the cat, her jaws snapping shut a whisker width away from a tortoiseshell ear, causing the cat to jerk back in alarm. Frostmask pressed them harder, locking her gaze on their face while swiping at their feet with her paw. The cat managed to pirouette away from her hit and… right into Poolcloud.
"Need some help?" Poolcloud asked Frostmask as he landed a blow on the cat's side so powerful that it knocked them to the ground.
Frostmask blinked. Poolcloud had such a gentle nature, most of the time she forgot his soft and fluffy pelt hid hardened muscles. She shook off her surprise quickly though, springing onto the tortoiseshell to pin them to the snow, raking her claws down their shoulders for good measure.
"Leave our camp!" Frostmask yowled down at the cat as she lunged down to sink her fangs into their side so they knew she was serious.
The tortoiseshell hissed in pain, and Frostmask let them up and watched them shoot towards the thorn tunnel.
"The medicine cats' den!" Poolcloud yowled, snapping her attention to the cave.
She watched the tails of three enemy warriors disappear inside of the medicine cats' den. Dawntail, who had been one of the cats defended the den's entrance, now lay injured at the base of Clanrock. Elmclaw had been putting his old warrior training to good use to help her block the cave, but he was now forced away from the den by two warriors. Still, he struggled hard against them, trying to break free so he could protect his patients.
Pineshade was the closest of their group to Clanrock, and she wasted no time. She barreled straight into the medicine cats' den after the three warriors. Frostmask jolted into motion, her paws following Pineshade. Frostmask's heart pounded, and her wounds pulsed in rhythm with it, but Frostmask pushed the pain away. If Pineshade was trapped in the den by the three enemies, that could be a death sentence for her, and Frostmask wasn't losing another friend to SkyClan.
Frostmask sprinted into the cave, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the almost pitch-black den. She spotted the sick cats, along with Cedarpaw, sheltering in the very back of the cave, Clearstream in front of them. A fearsome snarl marred the normally gentle medicine cat's face as she hissed at the enemy warriors, her back arched and long grey tabby fur bristled out like a pinecone.
The enemy warriors were in the midsection of the cave. One seemed to be keeping an eye on Clearstream and the sick cats while the other two dug through Clearstream's and Elmclaw's herb storage in the nooks in the cave's wall, scattering the carefully piled leaves.
Frostmask didn't waste time trying to figure out what they were doing with the herbs because Pineshade launched herself at one of the cats.
"Push them out of the cave!" Pineshade hissed at Frostmask as she leapt to Pineshade's aid.
Frostmask nodded curtly. She managed to wedge herself around the enemies to get between them and the back wall, getting only a scratched pelt from one of the SkyClan cats in the process. Frostmask puffed out her fur to make herself look larger. She yowled at her enemies as she sprung forward to slam her paws against the side of a dappled brown she-cat as hard as she could, shoving her a few tail-lengths back towards the entrance while Pineshade muscled a grey-and-white tom forward similarly. The dappled she-cat tried to dart back around Frostmask, seemingly heading back towards the herbs, but Frostmask threw herself in her way, hissing. She was clawed across her shoulders for the effort, and she screamed as the claws raked through some of the raw puncture wounds, but she managed to block the she-cat from getting deeper in the cave.
Frostmask blinked as another cat entered the den, tensing as she braced herself for more enemies, but she felt a surge of relief as she recognized Dewleaf. Dewleaf easily picked up Pineshade's and Frostmask's strategy, and began her attack, trying to claw the enemy cats back out of the cave from the other side.
Facing an onslaught from in front and behind in such close quarters, the three enemies seemed to cut their losses.
"Stormfang's got the leaves," the grey and white cat hissed. "Let's get out of here."
He turned and lead the charge to dodge around Dewleaf and exit the cave, a grey tom with herbs dangling from his jaws following him. The dappled she-cat was last in line, but Pineshade seemed like she wasn't interested in letting the three get away so easily because as soon as the she-cat was back out in camp, Pineshade tackled her from behind, the two of them rolling away in a screeching tumble.
Frostmask shot out of the cave after them, and she watched as the two toms fled the camp, a few shredded pieces of leaves drifting to the snowy ground behind the tom with the herbs in his jaws.
Frostmask swept her gaze across the camp as she ran. Slowly it was emptying out as enemy warriors were driven away, but battles were still raging in some places, while in others' ShadowClan cats lay injured. Frostmask saw Larkfoot trying to help Darkpelt to his paws, but the massive black warrior was struggling, blood dripping from one of his forelegs, which he held at an awkward angle as if he couldn't manage to get it under him for some reason. Grovepelt was holding his own against an enemy, his muscles still wiry and strong despite his age as he wrestled the SkyClan cat to the ground. Dustpelt was crouched by Dawntail's side; she had not yet risen back from the ground. Autumnleap, Poolcloud, and Cricketpaw were still defending the elder's den. Elmclaw had managed to break free of his attackers to get back to blocking the entrance of the medicine cat's den, although another warrior rounded on him to challenge him again. Snakeeyes, Lizardpaw, Fogfur, Dampfang, and Thornheart were still battling as well on the other side of the camp.
Frostmask's attention snapped back to Autumnleap and Poolcloud, she was charging over to them to help when out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dampfang streaking across camp. Pineshade seemed to be holding her own against the brown dappled she-cat she was fighting just fine, but Dampfang leapt at the she-cat regardless, accidentally knocking Pineshade away and to the ground in the process. Pineshade stumbled back to her paws with an irritable hiss as Dampfang started swatting at the she-cat.
As much as it pained Frostmask to admit it, Dampfang's battle skills were impeccable, making him possibly the best fighter in ShadowClan now that Swoopstrike was gone. With fluid grace Dampfang pinned the dappled she-cat to the snowy ground in only a few moves, before curling his lips back in an ugly snarl and hovering his jaws over her neck like a snake about to strike.
"Retreat!" a voice yowled. "Retreat!"
Frostmask jolted and watched as all the enemy warriors quickly abandoned their attacks and began to run from the camp, streaming out through the tunnel.
The dappled warrior under Dampfang's paws buckled and writhed, trying to free herself so she could flee as well, but Dampfang's claws curled deeper into her sides, refusing to let her budge. Dampfang gave a low rumbling growl before striking, snapping his jaws shut and sinking his fangs into her throat. The dappled she-cat's eyes went wild and wide. A gurgling sound oozed from her mouth, and she batted her paws against Dampfang's shoulders, but her blows grew weaker as Dampfang cut off her windpipe.
Frostmask could do nothing but stare at them.
He's going to kill her.
"Dampfang. Dampfang!"
Pineshade was at Dampfang's shoulder, and he jerked, his green eyes flashing up at her as if Pineshade snapped him out of a spell.
"Let her go. They're retreating," Pineshade murmured.
Dampfang gave a low growl and didn't move for a moment. The dappled she-cat stared at Dampfang. Her gaze begged him for her life as her chest twitched, struggling to breathe.
Dampfang opened his jaws.
The she-cat gasped air back into her lungs, scrambling out from under Dampfang and shooting away on shaky legs, leaving a small trail of blood behind her in the snow from the wounds he left in her neck. She ducked through the tunnel as she followed her companions away. No more enemy warriors remained. The camp was suddenly very empty.
Stunned silence fell over ShadowClan when the she-cat's brown tail disappeared into the tunnel. Frostmask gazed around at her injured clan-mates and the trodden down camp. Her ears flattened, her tail sunk down to the ground, and the full pain of her wounds finally swept over her.
What should they do now? Would the enemies come back?
And, where is Sedgestar?
Grovepelt strode forward into center of the camp, limping slightly and still bleeding from slashes across his pelt, but his head was held high with a steady confidence that comforted Frostmask as he took charge.
"Poolcloud, Autumnleap, are you badly injured?" he asked, his eyes settling on the two brothers first.
They both shook their heads.
"Just scratches, Grovepelt," Autumnleap meowed.
"Good. Go keep watch outside of camp," the deputy ordered. "Yowl if anything is out of place."
"Should one of us go fetch Sedgestar?" Poolcloud asked, his eyes wide with anxiety. "What if his patrol is under attack?"
Grovepelt hesitated for a moment.
"No," Grovepelt meowed. "I'm not going to send warriors away from the camp and risk them getting ambushed. We need to stay here and defend our camp in case more enemies come. And, besides… I suspect Sedgestar is fine."
Poolcloud and Autumnleap nodded and hurried to the tunnel, Autumnleap giving Frostmask a blink as he passed her, trying to reassure her. Frostmask turned to Pineshade as they left.
"Where is Sedgestar?" Frostmask murmured to her.
Pineshade's ears flattened.
"Soon after you left with Autumnleap and Lizardpaw, Darkpelt's sunset border patrol returned to camp," Pineshade murmured. "They had run into a ThunderClan border patrol who passed information to Darkpelt that a RiverClan patrol lead by Perchpelt was waiting at Fourtrees, and Perchpelt had urgent information for Sedgestar. Sedgestar took a patrol and went to Fourtrees to see them."
Frostmask lashed her tail.
"A diversion to get him and some of our warriors out of camp?" Frostmask growled, the pieces falling together.
Pineshade nodded grimly.
"That's what it seems now," she said. "Hopefully Grovepelt's right and he was just lured away, not ambushed too."
"Who's badly injured? Has anyone checked on Clearstream, Elmclaw, and the sick cats?" Grovepelt's voice rang out, pulling Frostmask from her thoughts.
"Dawntail's dead!" Dustleap snarled, lifting his head from his mate's side.
Frostmask jerked in shock, turning to look over at him and Dawntail. The grey and white she-cat still hadn't moved from the base of Clanrock where Frostmask had seen her last. She had been struck down while protecting the medicine cat's den, and her two kits who were inside it.
Cricketpaw let out a heartbreaking wail before sprinting over to her parents. She sunk to the ground next to her father as she nudged Dawntail's face with her muzzle. Dustleap wrapped his tail around his daughter, screwing his eyes shut with grief.
Grovepelt blinked, looking stunned for a moment before he bowed his head.
"I'm so sorry," he meowed. "Is everyone else accounted for?"
Silence met his words, and Frostmask couldn't help but letting out a small breath of relief that at least everyone else was alive.
"When I get my claws on those snake-hearted cats again I'll—" Darkpelt hissed before letting out a gasp of pain and stumbling as he tried to step forward on his injured leg.
Luckily, Larkfoot was at his side, and she supported her mate as he recovered his balance. Dampfang rushed to his parents.
"Father, are you alright?" Dampfang meowed, circling Darkpelt uneasily.
"I'm fine," Darkpelt snapped, shooing him away with a wave of his tail. "You're worrying about me like a mother hen!"
Dampfang glared at Darkpelt and backed away a few tail-lengths, but his tail still twitched with concern.
"You should go see Elmclaw and Clearstream," Grovepelt's voice cut in as he frowned at Darkpelt.
Darkpelt let out an irritable growl, twitching his tail.
"I'm sure they have much more pressing issues to deal with than me," Darkpelt said, lifting his chin.
"You can't even put any weight on that leg," Grovepelt pointed out flatly, his patience for the proud warrior clearly fading.
Dewleaf padded over to Darkpelt's side.
"Come on," she murmured.
Darkpelt still growled under his breath, but he allowed his mate and his daughter guide him towards the medicine cat's den. He hopped on three legs, his injured foreleg dragging uselessly against the ground, lagging behind him. However, Clearstream emerged from the den before he could enter. The medicine cat looked largely uninjured, her pelt had only a couple scratches, but her blue eyes were round with fear and concern.
"Our herb storage has been destroyed," she meowed to the camp.
Frostmask felt icy cold settle in her gut. Grovepelt jerked, the fur down his back bristling. He blinked hard at Clearstream a few times.
"…What?" Grovepelt rasped as if he was desperately wishing he heard her wrong.
"Elmclaw is salvaging what he can now," Clearstream said, her voice somehow still steady despite the fear and stress that marred her expression. "But, they stole some herbs and tore the rest to shreds. Leaf-bare will make it very difficult for us to replenish our stock as well."
Gasps of shock reverberate through the camp. Frostmask stomach twisted sickeningly, and she dug her paws into the ground to steady herself.
How would they prevent infection of their wounds or fight off the sickness that plagued the camp without herbs?
We're doomed.
Grovepelt sat back on his haunches heavily, suddenly looking vastly older than his true age.
"We will have to triage. Use the herbs for the worst injuries and sickness first," Grovepelt muttered. "At least, until we can retrieve more herbs."
Clearstream nodded.
"Elmclaw and I will go ask the other medicine cats if they have any they can spare as soon as we can," she meowed briskly. "But, herbs are scarce for everyone this time of year, so I don't think we should get our hopes up. Luckily, I know there are a few herbs that can be found growing even in leaf-bare. We can harvest some bark from the few willows that grow in the marsh, that will help us ease pain if we have no more poppy seeds. Also, I remember that my old mentor told me wintergreen can be used to treat wounds, but I've never had to resort to using it myself. I also know Fallowtuft sometimes uses broom to treat wounds and broken bones, although I've never seen it growing on our territory… Fallowtuft may be fine with me and Elmclaw traveling onto ThunderClan land to gather some though."
Grovepelt nodded.
"We will send out patrols for those herbs as soon as possible," Grovepelt said.
Elmclaw came out of the den behind his mentor. The dark tabby looked much more worse for wear than his mentor did. Several long slashes adorned his pelt, deep enough that it was clear they would scar. He also had swelling around one of his eyes, so much so Frostmask could only make out a narrow slit of his green gaze. However, Elmclaw seemed more concerned with the herbs and his patients than his own wounds.
"I've pulled out all of the useable herbs we have left," Elmclaw said to Clearstream. "We have enough to start treating some wounds, but I don't think it'll be enough for everyone."
Clearstream jerked her chin towards Darkpelt.
"Start with him," she said. "I'll assess everyone else and send the worst to you."
Elmclaw nodded. Then he turned to Darkpelt, his brow furrowing as he noticed his leg.
"How'd this happen?" Elmclaw asked.
"I don't know why everyone's making such a fuss—" Darkpelt protested.
"He got bit in the upper leg, there, and it also got twisted," Larkfoot cut in, shooting her mate a sharp look as she nodded at his wound. "I saw it happen. After that, it just went out from under him all of a sudden."
"Thanks Mom," Elmclaw murmured to Larkfoot as he continued to frown at Darkpelt. "Take him inside."
Frostmask's attention turned to Clearstream as the medicine cat padded up to her, her expression concerned.
"What happened here?" Clearstream asked Frostmask in her gentle way as she nodded at her bloodstained chest.
Frostmask glanced down at the red clumping in her fur, and her neck wound suddenly started aching more fiercely as she was reminded of its presence.
"I got bit on my neck and the edge of my shoulder," Frostmask murmured, angling her head to the side to give Clearstream better access to it.
The medicine cat spent a long few moments looking at the puncture wounds closely.
"Thankfully it missed your jugular and your windpipe," Clearstream meowed finally. "But, it's still deep, and judging by the state of your pelt, you've lost not an insignificant amount of blood. Do you feel any weakness in your limbs? Darkness around the edges of your vision? A headache?"
"I do have a headache," Frostmask admitted.
It'd had been mild enough for her to easily ignore during the battle, but now she could feel it throbbing behind her eyes with each beat of her heart. Clearstream nodded, her gaze concerned.
"Go to Elmclaw, he can treat you after Darkpelt. Then you should drink water and get something to eat and rest until Elmclaw or I tell you otherwise. I'd keep you in my den, but with white-cough in the camp, and the current state of our herb stock… it's best for everyone to minimize contact with any sick cat. Still, I want someone to keep an eye on you in case you pass out or your condition worsens from blood loss. I'll ask one of your den-mates if they can do it," Clearstream said.
Frostmask nodded before wincing when the wounds burned in protest.
"Alright, Clearstream," Frostmask murmured.
As Clearstream moved on to the next warrior, Frostmask slowly padded over to Clanrock, pausing for a moment to glance over at Cricketpaw and Dustleap as they crouched over Dawntail. She wondered for a moment if anyone had told Buzzardpaw and Cedarpaw, who were still in the medicine cat's den, about their mother before she turned aside and walked into the cave.
The den was still a mess, with moss from the nests and shredded bits of herbs strewn all over the cave floor. Buzzardpaw, Flymask, and Treefur, all sick with white-cough, still crouched in the back of the cave. Cedarpaw, who was in the den recovering from the rat bites he received earlier in the day, sat closer to the front of the cave, near Elmclaw and Darkpelt. Elmclaw seemed to still be assessing Darkpelt's wounded leg, but Larkfoot and Dewleaf were no longer in the den.
"Can you stretch your paw out to touch mine, Darkpelt?" Elmclaw asked.
Darkpelt was sitting awkwardly, slouched to the side in such a way that it was obvious he wasn't holding any of his weight on his injured foot. He grunted in response to Elmclaw's question, slightly rotating his shoulder forward, but his paw only twitched slightly close to Elmclaw, and the lower part of his leg refused to move at all.
"I can't. It hurts too much," Darkpelt growled. "And the elbow's all swollen up. It's too stiff to move."
Elmclaw just murmured noncommittally in response to Darkpelt's self diagnosis, running his paws up and down Darkpelt's injured leg.
"Are you sure isn't not broken?" Darkpelt growled.
"As I told you before, I don't feel any bones out of place," Elmclaw said, his brow furrowed. "But, I can tell this is a severe injury. It's not clean either. I think the muscles and ligaments in your elbow got all torn up. That's why you can't move your leg. And, injuries of such severity… can have lasting consequences."
Darkpelt bristled.
"Are you saying I'm going to be like this forever now?" he snapped, baring his teeth. "Unable to use this leg?!"
Elmclaw stopped examining his wound, and he turned towards the small amount of herbs piled at his side.
"We will have to see how well you heal to know for sure," Elmclaw said, his voice calm. "I'm going to put some herbs on your cuts now, and maybe I can find you something for the swelling."
Elmclaw began chewing some herbs into a poultice as he shifted through the pile of scavenged herbs.
"How am I supposed to hunt or fight if this leg just drags uselessly around under me?" Darkpelt spat. "Are you sure you know what you're doing? Maybe I should have Clearstream take a look at me."
This comment finally seemed to get under Elmclaw's skin because he stiffened, his brown and black striped fur bristling slightly down his back.
"As you know, Father." Elmclaw's tone was calm but underlaid with a layer of ice. "I've been a full medicine cat for seasons now. Clearstream and I can both assure you that I know what I'm doing."
Darkpelt just grunted again in response. Elmclaw smeared the herbs he had been chewing on the cuts on Darkpelt's leg before pawing a herb out of the pile and in Darkpelt's direction.
"Eat this," Elmclaw meowed curtly at him before turning to look at Frostmask.
Frostmask jolted almost guiltily, her ears angling back. She couldn't help but feeling like she'd been eavesdropping on a private family argument. But, Elmclaw seemed his normal genial self as he walked up to her.
"Hey Frostmask, what have you got for me?" he said.
Frostmask showed him her wounds on her neck. He licked them clean for her since she was unable to reach them herself before smearing a poultice to prevent infection on the wounds like he did with Darkpelt. Frostmask flinched as the herb stung at her wounds.
Elmclaw scanned his gaze over the other scratches that adorned her pelt.
"I would put some herbs on those too, if it was any other time," Elmclaw said. "But, they are shallow and considering the state of our supply…"
Frostmask nodded.
"I understand," she meowed.
"Make sure you groom them and keep them clean, or infection is more likely," Elmclaw warned.
He then echoed Clearstream's advice to take it easy before telling her she could leave the den. Frostmask hesitated before she rose to her paws.
"Did you tell Cedarpaw and Buzzardpaw about Dawntail?" she murmured in a low voice that only reached his ears.
Elmclaw sighed, his board shoulders sagging.
"I'd forgotten. I've just been thinking about everyone's injuries and the herbs…" he said, looking weary. "I'll tell them now. The poor little scraps. They're going through enough right now with their injuries and sickness; it's tragic that they have to deal with too."
Frostmask nodded, her whiskers drooping. Elmclaw started to turn, but Frostmask brushed her tail down her side to stop him for a moment.
"I'm no medicine cat," Frostmask murmured. "But, your cuts look pretty deep to me too. Maybe you should think about using a little of some herbs for yourself instead of giving them all away to our clan-mates… What we do if you fell sick to an infection?"
Elmclaw rumbled a brief purr.
"Alright… Thanks for the concern Frostmask," he said, his whiskers twitching in dark humor. "I'll see what Clearstream's opinion on my wounds are since I can't seem to be objective about them myself."
Frostmask just nodded. Elmclaw headed to the back of the den to Buzzardpaw and Cedarpaw, while Frostmask turned around and padded out of the den, unable to stay and hear Elmclaw tell the young apprentices that their mother was dead.
When she emerged from the den, she headed towards the fresh-kill pile to eat something as Clearstream had suggested. The pile was luckily largely untouched, although a few pieces of prey had been thrown about in the chaos of the battle. Frostmask picked up a slightly mangled and completely frozen shrew and settled down with it, holding it in her paws and rasping her tongue across it to thaw it enough that she could take a bite.
Frostmask's gaze flickered across the camp as she waited for the prey to warm. She saw Cedarpaw emerge from the medicine cat's den, his eyes welling with grief. He rushed over to his family, who were still crouched at the base of Clanrock. Buzzardpaw staggered out of the cave a few moments later, although he kept his distance from the rest of them, likely not wanting to infect his littermates or his father with his white-cough. Buzzardpaw gazed over at them mournfully, his head bowed.
Lizardpaw made his way over to the group hesitantly, gently touching his tail to Cedarpaw's flank, prompting the dark tabby to lift his head from Dawntail's side so Lizardpaw sign something to him. Cedarpaw nodded and Lizardpaw crouched down between Cedarpaw and Cricketpaw, pressing his white pelt to his den-mates' supportively.
Frostmask watched Lizardpaw for a moment longer. She wanted to check with him to see how he was, but also she didn't want to interrupt him when he was comforting his den-mates. She glanced away, deciding that she would speak to him later.
Fogfur and Thornheart were tidying up the camp. Some parts of the thorn barrier and branches of dens had broken off during the fight, so the two toms silently cleared the area, sticking brambles back into any new gaps in the thorn barrier, and kicking fresh snow over any red-stained patches they came across.
"Hey."
Frostmask's ears pricked as Pineshade appeared at her side.
"Clearstream told me to keep an eye on you," Pineshade said, taking a seat next to Frostmask. "I think I'm supposed to make sure you don't die or something."
Frostmask gave a snort of bitter humor.
"Thanks," she muttered.
"That bite you got on your neck does look pretty nasty," Pineshade said, making herself more comfortable as she settled in the snow and curled herself close to Frostmask so they could share the heat of their pelts. "Do you think it'll scar?"
Frostmask's ear twitched. She knew Pineshade was talking about meaningless nonsense, but she also knew it was Pineshade's way of trying to distract Frostmask, or herself, from the overwhelming nature of the attack.
"Maybe," Frostmask meowed, indulging the desire not to think about grave situation their Clan was in, if only for a few moments. "I hope not though. I don't want it to mess up the look of my pelt."
"What are you talking about?" Pineshade said, screwing her face up in an affronted expression. "Scars are cool! They showed you faced something tough and won!"
Frostmask purred lightly.
"What if you get a scar doing something stupid though?" she asked, rolling the shrew between her paws; it was almost an edible temperature now. "Like, I don't know… jumping out of a tree to prove a point?"
Pineshade shrugged.
"That's when you make up a cool story for it instead," she said, her tail-tip flicking. "'I wrestled a badger to save a kit' or something."
Frostmask purred and bent her head to take a bite of the prey. After the first bite, she devoured the rest quickly, suddenly ravenous. Her headache seemed to fade back a bit as her stomach filled. She licked the last bit of blood off her lips and leaned closer to Pineshade to fight off the cold breeze that swirled through the camp.
"Sedgestar!" Poolcloud's voice rang out from outside of the camp, causing Frostmask's ears to prick up suddenly.
She sat up straighter and exchanged a quick look with Pineshade.
The thorn barrier rustled and Sedgestar came pushing through, his sizable patrol of cats just behind him. Sedgestar jerked to a stop quickly, just a few fox-lengths into the clearing.
Nothing could've prepared Frostmask for the look on Sedgestar's face when he saw the ravaged camp. The pure shock and fury of it lifted the fur on her shoulders.
"What. Happened." Her leader's voice was halting and raspy, something between a croak and a snarl.
"RiverClan," Thornheart spat as he swiped his claws across the snow in front of him.
"RiverClan?!" Sedgestar echoed with a growl, his tail whipping.
Frostmask opened her jaws, about to correct him, but Grovepelt limped forward before she could.
"No, not RiverClan," Grovepelt meowed as he staggered over to Sedgestar. "Those were SkyClan warriors."
Sedgestar turned to him, his brow furrowing, although he looked no less furious.
"I'm sure of it," Grovepelt continued. "But, they disguised themselves with RiverClan scent."
Sedgestar buried his claws into the snowy ground.
"How is that possible?!" Sedgestar hissed through clenched fangs. "My patrol was right at the border this whole time! How did they get past us?"
"That's not the worst part," Grovepelt sighed. "They destroyed our herb storage and stole some others. Dawntail is dead, and injuries range from severe to moderate."
Sedgestar was silent for a moment as this information sunk in, and his patrol dispersed behind him to their loved ones. Rowanheart and Yewpaw rushed to Snakeeyes and Lizardpaw. Hollowpaw sprinted over to where her family huddled around Dawntail. Hootflight and Beeclaw went over to check on Thornheart, then Beeclaw hurried to the medicine cat's den to see if Elmclaw was okay. Dappledpelt and Leafbreeze stayed in place, but pressed their pelts closer together in silent gratitude that both of them had avoided injury in this battle. Marshnose padded slowly over to Dawntail, his head bowed and his tail dragging in the slush, and Frostmask was reminded that the two were littermates.
Emberflower pressed herself against Sedgestar's side, clearly trying to calm or comfort her mate. Every hair on Sedgestar's pelt bristled, vibrating with wrath, his amber eyes ice-cold.
"What happened at Fourtrees?" Grovepelt prompted gently, trying to pull Sedgestar out of his furious haze.
"Nothing," Sedgestar spat. "There were no cats there when we arrived. We waited for a while then turned back. I would bet my pelt that the 'RiverClan' patrol we were supposed to meet there, were the cats attacking this camp. I can't believe Willowstar sunk to making this pact with Fennelstar. Both RiverClan and SkyClan will pay for this."
Sedgestar began to pace, his tail lashing as he raked unsheathed claws through the churned up snow.
"We actually don't know if RiverClan was involved," Grovepelt meowed in a steady voice. "The SkyClan warriors could've rolled in their scent-markers just to throw us off."
"I wonder if there was ever a patrol at Fourtrees at all," Sedgestar barreled on as if his deputy had not spoken. "Maybe ThunderClan has turned on us too. How can we trust their word when none of our cats saw anyone there?"
"I don't think that sounds like Morningstar," Grovepelt murmured, but Frostmask saw a flash of doubt in his eyes.
Sedgestar turned towards Emberflower suddenly.
"Emberflower, I want you to lead a patrol. Follow their scent trail and make sure that the SkyClan cats are gone from our territory. If you find them still here, you are not to engage. Instead come back immediately."
"Of course," she said with a nod.
"Take Rowanheart, Dappledpelt and Leafbreeze with you." Sedgestar's eyes flashed towards Thornheart. "Thornheart, are you fit enough to join them?"
Thornheart took a step forward raising his chin.
"Yes, Sedgestar," he meowed.
"Good, then you go too," Sedgestar said.
Sedgestar turned to nod at Hootflight.
"Hootflight, go relieve Autumnleap and Poolcloud from their watch. We will not be leaving the camp unguarded for even a moment."
Hootflight dipped his head.
"Yes, Sedgestar," he meowed.
"Where's Redclaw and Weaseltail?" Frostmask murmured to Pineshade as her clan-mates scrambled to obey Sedgestar's orders.
"They had gone out earlier on a hunting patrol with Featherpaw, Mosspounce, Murmurstep, Amberberry and Kestrelmoon," Pineshade muttered back. "Probably totally oblivious to everything."
"Hunting. Snake-dung," Frostmask whispered, suddenly remembering the four mice she, Autumnleap, and Lizardpaw had left in the woods before their mad dash to the camp. "I left some mice out in the forest by that big pine. It would be such a waste if they became crow-food."
Pineshade nodded.
"Hold on, I'll tell the patrol so they can grab them," she said.
Pineshade hurried over to stop Rowanheart before he left camp, murmuring something to him. Rowanheart nodded before turning and padding out the thorn tunnel. Pineshade came trotting back over to Frostmask.
"They'll take care of it," she said with a nod.
"Thanks," Frostmask murmured, slowly getting to her paws. "I should go talk to Lizardpaw and see how he's doing."
Pineshade waved her tail dismissively.
"Okay, let me know if you need anything," she said. "Try not to keel over without me around, alright?"
"I'll do my best," Frostmask said drily, slowly padding over to Lizardpaw.
As she walked across the camp, she overheard Grovepelt still deep in conversation with Sedgestar. He murmured something about the herbs Clearstream talked about, and Sedgestar nodded his head.
"… send a patrol to search for them as soon as we're able," Sedgestar rumbled.
Dawntail's body had been moved into the center of the clearing to prepare for her vigil. Her family still crouched beside her, grooming her fur to smooth it down. Lizardpaw had moved away from Cedarpaw and Cricketpaw, and now he sat with his mother and brother in front of the apprentices' den. Snakeeyes was grooming Lizardpaw's ears while Yewpaw curled up on the other side of his mother. Frostmask was relieved to see that the bite on Lizardpaw's leg had received some care from Elmclaw.
It won't get infected then, hopefully.
Lizardpaw jumped to his feet when he saw Frostmask, although he kept his injured leg off the ground. Lizardpaw ran and hopped over to her, rubbing his cheek against hers and purring with obvious relief that Frostmask was doing okay. Frostmask purred in response before pulling her head back. Behind him, Snakeeyes gazed at Frostmask with her mismatched eyes. Frostmask saw she had some deep slashes on her shoulders, but she hadn't received treatment for them yet.
I wonder if Elmclaw and Clearstream have already run out of herbs.
"Thank you for watching out for Lizardpaw during the battle," Snakeeyes said, before a slight growl entered her voice. "I saw you tackle that horrible cat off of him."
"Of course!" Frostmask said. "I'm the one that should be thanking you for keeping an eye on him when we got separated."
"You know I'd never let anything happen to them," Snakeeyes murmured, turning her head to rasp her tongue across Yewpaw's silver and black striped forehead for emphasis.
How are you? Lizardpaw asked, nodding towards the bite on her neck.
I need to rest, but I'm fine. Frostmask responded.
Lizardpaw sat down heavily, looking exhausted himself. Frostmask felt a twinge of sympathy for him. It had been a very long day, and he was still such a young cat. It felt like seasons ago that they had gone on the patrol down the WindClan border, and winded up in the Carrionplace, but in reality, it had only been in the morning.
I'm sorry I couldn't help you. Lizardpaw signed. It looked bad, and I tried to get to you. But then someone was in my way…
Frostmask bumped her forehead against his gently, trying to push away the wide-eyed guilty expression on his face.
It's alright. She signed. Really.
Lizardpaw nodded before curling back up on the ground next to Snakeeyes. Frostmask turned as she heard paw-steps approaching her. It was Autumnleap padding over. Frostmask nodded goodbye to Lizardpaw, Snakeeyes and Yewpaw before turning and meeting him a few fox-lengths away. He greeted her with a soft purr.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, glancing at her cut. "I'm glad you got some herbs."
"Okay, I guess," Frostmask said, sighing softly. "How about you?"
She scanned her gaze across his pelt, but couldn't see any bad wounds.
"I'm fine," he meowed, brushing away her concern with a wave of his tail.
"You better clean your cuts well though," Frostmask said. "Because I doubt they'll have any herbs left to treat them."
Autumnleap's expression darkened.
"The state of it's that bad then?" he meowed.
Frostmask sighed again.
"You should see the inside of the medicine cats' den," she said. "It looks like a monster ran through there. The leaves are shredded into useless bits."
Frostmask sat down, running a paw across her face. Her headache was back. Autumnleap blinked sympathetically at her and leaned over to nudge her cheek with his muzzle.
"You look exhausted. Do you want to get some rest?" he asked. "You won't be missing anything. I don't think Sedgestar wants anyone moving a whisker until Emberflower returns with news, or Redclaw's and Weaseltail's patrol comes back so the camp has more reinforcements."
Frostmask yawned at the thought of her nest.
"That's not a bad idea," she murmured. "Although I feel a bit bad going to sleep when Dawntail's vigil is just starting."
Autumnleap followed her gaze towards the grey-and-white furred body in the center of the camp.
"I think she'd understand," he murmured.
"Also Clearstream put Pineshade in charge of watching me in case my condition worsens," Frostmask said. "Or, 'making sure I don't die' as Pineshade put it."
Autumnleap's whiskers twitched in a faint hint of amusement.
"I don't think she'd mind me relieving her," Autumnleap said, before inclining his head in the direction of the warriors' den. "Come on."
Having no energy left in her to argue, Frostmask followed him.
Author's Note: Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing!
Elmclaw is best boi. Too bad he has to put up with Darkpelt as a father lol. A bit of fun backstory on Elmclaw that no one asked for, but I'm gonna share anyway because I want to haha: Elmclaw is Larkfoot and Darkpelt's kit from their first litter. He's similar in age with Rowanheart, and the two were very close because they were the only kits in the nursery for most of their kithood. They were both the only survivors of their litters— their littermates died during a time of sickness that hit ShadowClan when they were very young.
Darkpelt always wanted to be a father, and he was devastated at their loss, but he always had very high expectations for his future kits, which only heightened when Elmkit was the only one of the litter to survive. Darkpelt expected Elmkit to grow up to be just like himself— he wanted a strong, fearless warrior and a clever tactician to carry on his legacy. However, ever since the sickness that claimed the lives of Elmkit's littermates, Elmkit was fascinated with healing, not fighting or battle strategies. Darkpelt would try to play-fight with him and Rowankit, but Elmkit preferred to sneak off into Clearstream's den instead, much to Darkpelt's dismay and frustration. Clearstream however, didn't mind Elmkit's intrusion, and she helped foster his passion, teaching him simple lessons about herbs when he was as young as a few moons old.
However, once Elmpaw had reached the age to be apprenticed, he had grown into a large cat that already rivaled his massive father in size and strength by the age of only six moons old. Darkpelt was insistent that Elmpaw train as a warrior. He told him his talents would only go to waste as a medicine cat, and he could better serve his Clan by putting his size and strength to use fighting instead of healing. Not wanting to disappoint his father or his Clan, Elmpaw reluctantly bent to Darkpelt's pressure, and he began warrior training.
Clearstream was saddened that Elmpaw did not choose to become her apprentice, but she soon picked up on the fact that Elmpaw's heart wasn't in his warrior training. She became a supportive figure and a confidant for Elmpaw during his warrior's apprenticeship. But, she did not pressure him to become a medicine cat, because she knew that with time, Elmpaw would be able to figure out by himself on what path he belonged. Elmpaw spent his apprenticeship hunting, half-heartedly battle training, and his favorite part, picking herbs as "favors" for Clearstream.
At the end of his apprenticeship, Elmpaw was involved in a his first battle— a skirmish with WindClan, in which he fought valiantly and loyally for ShadowClan. This earned him his warrior name Elmclaw for his strength, and Darkpelt had never been prouder of his son. However, Darkpelt's pride quickly soured when Elmclaw approached him the next day to tell him that he finally realized that he wasn't going to be a warrior. He was going to train with Clearstream as a medicine cat instead, and he already spoke with her and Sedgestar to get their permission. Elmclaw tried to explain to Darkpelt how this battle truly showed him that he didn't want to fight, but to heal, but the proud warrior was too angry with his son to listen.
Darkpelt barely interacted with his son for a moon, despite Larkfoot's best efforts to make him talk to Elmclaw. Not long afterwards however, Larkfoot gave birth to their second litter of kits, Dewkit and Dampkit. Darkpelt was excited to have more kits and more chances for them to become the warriors he dreamed them of being, and he was delighted when they took to it naturally in a way Elmclaw never had. Although Dewpaw had more of a cunning mind suited to tactics, Darkpelt was especially proud of Damppaw for his prowess at fighting. Darkpelt was relieved to finally have the son he always wanted in Damppaw, and he poured all his energy into shaping him into a formidable warrior, although Darkpelt was much more lax with Dewpaw. Dampfang even as a warrior, still feels pressure to live up to the cat Darkpelt wants him to be.
Elmclaw chose to keep his name the same when he became a full medicine cat as a final small honor for his father, despite the fact that he knew Darkpelt would always see him as a disappointment. Elmclaw, however is at peace with himself and happy in his role in the Clan, knowing that he is living his life as he was meant to. Darkpelt eventually came to accept Elmclaw's position as a medicine cat, although their relationship is still strained. As for Elmclaw's younger siblings, Dampfang shares a dislike for Elmclaw he picked up from Darkpelt, but Elmclaw and Dewleaf are rather close now.
So, that's Elmclaw's story, and now you all also have a bit more context on why Dampfang is the way he is lol. Anyway, I wouldn't classify Darkpelt as a bad guy, but he's definitely not a great father.
Reviews: Brian.H.H: Thanks! That's a good question about if ShadowClan is still hunting on SkyClan's land; that made me realize that I've forgotten to touch back in on it recently. The answer is yes, they have been, but intermittently. It's been about 2 moons since they started doing that, but it's slowed down from when they were really excited about it in the beginning (so patrols are definitely not going there every night, but if a patrol felt like it, they could.) It's also going to be brought up in the next chapter, so things should be a bit more cleared up.
Stacy Rockfall: Thank you! :) I'm glad they made up too, I missed writing Autumnleap in those couple chapters where he didn't make an appearance. And, I'm glad the site's working again for you! Haha, I hope this chapter was worth it after the cliffhanger!
Avalanche: Thank you! I haven't had the chance to directly mention it in the story yet, but at this point, I think Dewleaf and Poolcloud are definitely an official couple! Although, yeah, Dampfang still isn't very likable haha, but I don't want to give away anything about him and Pineshade's relationship (like whether they stay together or not.) As for Frostmask and Autumnleap, Frostmask still isn't ready for a relationship right now, but that doesn't mean that she will be that way forever…
SavvySpirit: I can't really say anything about Paledusk dying or being redeemed because I don't want to give anything away haha. And, those are some good questions about SkyClan! The little bit of information I can share is that Fennelstar deals with the other clans very aggressively because he is doing what he believes is necessary for SkyClan's survival. Remember that when Frostmask overheard the conversation between RiverClan's deputy and Paledusk, RiverClan mentioned how two-legs are doing construction at the edge of SkyClan's territory. The current time in the story is still several years before SkyClan is driven out with Cloudstar as their leader, but Fennelstar sees the writing on the wall and knows that if the two-legs plow through their whole forest, SkyClan is doomed. So, Fennelstar's main goal is to secure more territory for his Clan. He and Paledusk are mostly aligned on their goals, but Paledusk may have some hidden agendas that his leader isn't aware of. As for Dappledpelt, I think she's just going to try to get on with her life as best as she can without Swoopstrike. I think maybe she'll try to get closer to her daughter, Leafbreeze, and spend more time with her since she has been reminded of how life is short and precious.
jason1777717: Haha well I'll tell you this much: you might have noticed that Paledusk was conspicuously absent in this battle, but he will be in the next chapter… I'm not saying anything more than that though.