Russetstripe followed Briskheart and Icefrost as they crossed the stream that led into ThunderClan's territory. Sedgefall walked next to Russetstripe, and the air between the two Clans was tense. Sedgefall's face was calm and her movements were the epitome of grace, and Russetstripe knew she had a scowl on her own face. I just can't be in WindClan at the moment, she thought to herself. Not with Scorchstar saying he can't trust me and that he prefers Wildheart over me. I need a break. I can't stand his – and Wildheart's – staring. Although she definitely had apprehensions in stepping paw into the Clan that they had just fought with, it wasn't as if she could run away for the rest of her life. She'd stay here to supervise Sedgefall and then go back. Right?
Briskheart looked over his shoulder. "Almost there," he promised the two WindClan cats as he skirted over bushes and leaped over rocks. He sent up patches of moss behind him until he and Icefrost skidded to a halt over a massive stone hollow. The two cats sifted through the foliage and pushed themselves through a thorn tunnel. Sedgefall and Russetstripe followed closely after until they entered the ThunderClan camp. Russetstripe gasped as the camp stretched out for what seemed like dozens of fox-lengths. As she placed her paw inside the hollow, the sour stench of illness was the first thing that hit her, and she winced, turning her head away. Even Briskheart and Icefrost's noses wrinkled, but Sedgefall said nothing.
Rootstar emerged from the center of camp and he walked over to the group of cats. His vivid yellow eyes were soft and welcoming. A light breeze tousled his black-and-white fur, and the sweet, warm scent of twilight mist drifted around him. Russetstripe found herself lowering her head to the tom, and Sedgefall followed suit.
"Welcome, little ones," Rootstar greeted them gently. "Well done, Briskheart and Icefrost. Thank you for bringing Sedgefall to us. And who would this little flower with her happen to be?" Rootstar stepped closer to Russetstripe, and the enchanting scent of night-blooming flowers forced Russetstripe to lift her head up as she met Rootstar's warm gaze.
"Russetstripe of WindClan," Russetstripe introduced herself. She had never spoken to Rootstar before, and she wondered exactly what he was like. She hadn't even gotten the chance to fight him in battle. This was her first time meeting him, and she was interested to see what he was made of.
"Russetstripe," Rootstar echoed, kindness in his yellow eyes. "You are like a wildflower, blooming in the greatest of adversity."
Wha…? Russetstripe had no idea what to say to Rootstar, only earning a gentle smile from him. The black-and-white tom lifted his head and asked, "May I ask what you are here for?"
"Rootstar," Russetstripe meowed. "I have come to escort Sedgefall – and also because I hear that you are taking many warriors, including yourself, away from your Clan. I would like to offer my assistance in hunting and working for your Clan while they are gone. Is that all right?"
"Of course it is, little one." Rootstar purred loudly. "Welcome to ThunderClan. We will treat you as if you were our own Clanmate. Ask if you need anything." Just as he turned to address Sedgefall, a low voice growled from behind him, and a dark gray tabby figure trekked over to Sedgefall, his shadowed yellow eyes narrowed.
"My mate and daughter are in there fighting for their lives." The warrior pointed with his tail to a cavern near the tallest part of the cliffs, which Russetstripe assumed was the den where the sick cats were being held. "If they die, I will blame you." His yellow eyes blazed with the intensity of his threat.
"Peartuft." Rootstar's voice was firm, a hint of a warning and darkness in that single word. Peartuft snorted and walked away, his tail lashing. When Rootstar spoke again, his voice was light and back to the happy-go-lucky tom he had been just a second ago. "Dear Sedgefall, thank you for coming. Frostcloud is very grateful that you are here."
"I am glad to see her," Sedgefall said, clearly unaffected by Peartuft's earlier words, even though Russetstripe was quite taken aback. "I will treat your Clan as if they were my own. Where is Frostcloud?"
"Here." Frostcloud poked her white furred head out of the cavern and walked over to Sedgefall, giving her a nod. "Dear oh dear, they managed to pry you away from Scorchstar? What a surprise. I imagined Briskheart and Icefrost would come back here with clawed ears."
Sedgefall purred loudly. "It seems that you have not changed, Frostcloud."
"Well, they still call me a snake." Frostcloud blinked at Sedgefall. "If you wish to entertain your ancestors by bowing to every whim of theirs, then I will not stop you. Welcome to ThunderClan."
"So, you have to leave your Clan?" Sedgefall asked.
"The spirits of StarClan thought it was an excellent idea to take away their Clan's only medicine cat and send her on a journey to who knows where." Frostcloud sighed with irritation. "Perhaps they failed to realize that this medicine cat has a Clan to take care of. But I am sure that if I disobey StarClan, they will send a pestilence of plagues on me for at least a week. I am better off simply obeying their orders rather than ignoring it."
"That is right." Sedgefall grinned at Frostcloud. "You won't be gone long."
"Dear me, I hope so." Frostcloud sighed in irritation. "Come with me, Sedgefall. Let's see if you can figure this out. If you do, I'll send you back home with the biggest mouse on the fresh-kill pile." Just as Russetstripe watched Frostcloud urge Sedgefall to the medicine den, Icefrost, who had been standing with Briskheart while watching the exchange between Rootstar and Sedgefall, was approached by a big silver tabby. Winterfall, Russetstripe recognized him immediately. She tried to catch the tabby's glance, but he was staring at his daughter, a mixture of fear and anger in his eyes.
"You can't go," Winterfall told Icefrost, the fur on the back of his spine pricking and his white-tipped tail twitching.
"What?" Icefrost's tail lashed, and she rose her hackles as she glared at her father. "Why not?"
"You're too young and inexperienced," Winterfall growled. "If you go, you'll never come back."
"You have no faith in your daughter, Winterfall?" The voice came from a yellow tabby, Sunfire, who walked over to Winterfall and regarded him with narrowed green eyes.
"It's not that, it's—" Winterfall was cut off by Icefrost.
"Really?" Icefrost flattened her ears. "Because it seems like that's exactly what it is."
"Icefrost…" Winterfall's voice turned into a growl.
"Winterfall, little one." Rootstar walked over to the silver tabby and rested his tail on his shoulders. "The stars have decreed that Icefrost is to come with us. Do you think they would send a cat on a journey they see as unfit?"
Winterfall sighed. "I guess not."
"She will be taken care of," Rootstar meowed. "She will have cats around her at all times, and I do not think you understand just how strong of a cat she is."
"Aren't you always about keeping she-cats safe?" Emberflame growled from the other side of the clearing. Russetstripe gasped when she saw the brown tabby tom. He was twice the size he had been when he was Emberpaw, so many moons ago, trapped in the WindClan camp with no way out until Russetstripe had smuggled him back into ThunderClan territory with Blackdove and Gorseflight's assistance.
"It is true that she-cats are the beautiful, delicate flowers of the Clans, and it is up to the toms to protect them," Rootstar meowed, every word flowing and gentle as he addressed his son with a soft amber gaze, "but their paws can only do so much. I did not say that she-cats are not strong. They can fend very well for themselves, and can defend others, too." The black-and-white leader tousled Icefrost's head with his tail. "Just as this little flower can."
Icefrost gazed at Rootstar, her eyes wide.
Winterfall sighed, seemingly finding it futile to continue the argument. He relaxed his shoulders and met Rootstar's gaze. "At least protect her."
"Of course." Rootstar nodded to Winterfall. "She is young, but…" The ThunderClan leader's gaze darted to Briskheart and Honeyfeather, who were eating traveling herbs. "I believe we may need that in comparison to the other cats we are bringing."
"Very funny," Briskheart muttered, clearly overhearing their conversation as he swiped his tongue across his lips.
Winterfall padded away from Icefrost and locked gazes with Russetstripe. His jaw dropped and he walked over to her. "What… what are you doing here…?" he asked, his blue eyes wide.
Russetstripe met the tabby's gaze steadily. "I'm here to help your Clan for a little bit. So let's try and pretend we're friends, should we?"
Winterfall clenched his jaw tight. "I never meant to hurt you."
"Is that so?" Russetstripe tilted her head. "I don't care. Let's just get along for the sake of ThunderClan, and then I'll leave."
Winterfall nodded. "All right." Just as Winterfall started to walk away, Russetstripe could hear a disgusted voice, laced with venom and thorns. She turned her head to see Houndheart, a spotted dark brown tabby tom who glared at Russetstripe with hatred in his amber eyes.
"What are you doing here?" he snarled, lashing his tail.
Russetstripe narrowed her green eyes. "I want to help."
"Or spy." Houndheart's fur fluffed up. "For WindClan."
"I don't care about WindClan right now," Russetstripe snarled, curling her lips at Houndheart. "My job right now is to help ThunderClan, and that's what I plan to do. Don't like it, don't talk to me." Russetstripe turned her head away, and another ThunderClan scent drifted towards her. Who is it this time?
A slender brown tabby she-cat walked over to Russetstripe, kindness in her pale-yellow eyes. "Don't listen to him," she meowed. "He thinks it's his job to be mean to everyone." She looked over at her shoulder to Houndheart, and the tabby tom grunted and turned away. Then she glanced back at Russetstripe. "My name is Quailpool. You said you were staying here to help us?"
She's kind, Russetstripe thought, relaxing her fur at Quailpool's attitude. "Yeah."
"What is your name?" Quailpool asked. "You can tell me if you don't want to talk, but I figured I would give you at least one name to a face around here."
"Russetstripe," the ginger she-cat replied. "I'm Russetstripe." The calm, friendly atmosphere of ThunderClan – save for the awkward interaction with Winterfall and the hostile exchange with Houndheart – was a nice refresher from the awkwardness Russetstripe felt in WindClan whenever she and Scorchstar were at each other's throats, or when she heard Wildheart sneering at her.
Quailpool opened her mouth to speak, but Russetstripe could see Sunfire's bright yellow fur appear in front of her. For a moment, Russetstripe wondered if she should snap at the yellow tabby – after all, she last remembered fighting with him in the battle, but there was only a calm welcoming in Sunfire's green eyes as he nodded to her.
"It's nice to see you," Sunfire told her.
"Nice…?" Russetstripe echoed. "Last I remember, we were at each other's throats."
Sunfire's whiskers twitched. "That was a long time ago. If you're here to help ThunderClan, then we'd become friends, don't you think?"
"Well, yeah, I guess you're right," Russetstripe meowed, getting to her paws and lowering her head to Sunfire. "It's good to see you too."
"Mm." Sunfire nodded. "Let me know if you need anything or if you have any questions." The yellow tabby tom padded away towards Rootstar. Russetstripe watched him go, awed by the kindness of – most – every cat in ThunderClan. The cats were gathering in a close-knit circle, and Russetstripe realized that they were saying their goodbyes to Rootstar. A circle of cats gathered around Rootstar – Russetstripe recognized Icefrost and Briskheart from where they had come to gather Sedgefall. She could see Honeyfeather's golden-brown tabby pelt, and Frostcloud's pure white fur. The other cat that stood at Icefrost's side was small and skinny. An apprentice, maybe?
"Who's that?" Russetstripe asked Quailpool as she pointed to the small cat with her tail.
"Dewpaw." Quailpool's voice was rough. "She's my daughter."
"She's going on the journey?" Russetstripe asked. "But she's so young!"
"She was called by StarClan," Quailpool replied. "And I have faith in her." Love for her daughter gleamed in Quailpool's pale eyes.
"So, where are they going?" Russetstripe inquired.
"From what I heard… they're going to some place called The Dragon Tree." Russetstripe gazed at Quailpool, having no idea what she was talking about, but Quailpool shrugged. "I don't know any more than you do. It's called The Dragon Tree, and they have to travel far to get there. Sunfire will be taking over as temporary leader in the meantime, and Sedgefall will be the temporary medicine cat."
"How bad is the sickness?" Russetstripe asked.
"Bad enough that they need to travel far to find healing herbs," Quailpool replied darkly. "Hailstep, Snowkit, and Lightningfang are all sick. Emberflame has been coughing and Willowsong has become ill, too. Frostcloud thinks they will eventually fall to the sickness, too. That's why they need to leave as soon as possible to get the herbs."
This is worse than I thought, Russetstripe thought, fear for these cats panging in her chest. What if they never came back? Why am I so worried about them? They're not my Clan!
"Every cat!" Rootstar yowled. "It is time for us to leave. We will be heading towards The Dragon Tree to retrieve the herbs we need to help our ill Clanmates. We will be back as soon as we can. In the meantime, Sunfire will be your leader and Sedgefall will be your medicine cat. Have faith in us, my Clanmates. We will come back, and we will come back with the cure." With a flick of his tail, Rootstar padded away from the clearing and led his cats out in a straight line. Russetstripe watched with her heart pounding as Rootstar whispered something to a thick-furred brown-and-white she-cat, and then looked over his shoulder, a soft look in his eyes as he studied his camp. Then, he exited through the thorn tunnel.
The rest of the journeying cats were after him. Honeyfeather nuzzled Sunfire one last time before squeezing through the thorn bush. Icefrost looked around, seeming to search for her father, but Russetstripe couldn't spot Winterfall anywhere. The silver tabby she-cat let out a sigh and exited through the tunnel, but Russetstripe could see Briskheart resting his tail on her shoulders for a few seconds. Frostcloud was after them, a smug expression on her face as she noticed their exchange. After Frostcloud was Dewpaw. Dewpaw raced over to her mother, nuzzled her one last time, and then bounded towards the tunnel and left with the rest of her Clanmates.
Russetstripe noticed Sunfire watching the patrol with worry and fear contorted all over his face. Forcing herself to her paws, Russetstripe walked over to the yellow tom and meowed to him, "It's okay. I don't know these cats as well as you do, but I can tell that every single one of them is a strong warrior, ready to do anything to defend their Clan."
"You're right," Sunfire meowed, his gaze drifting after the ThunderClan cats, where the fern bushes at the entrance of the tunnel rustled where they had once been. He let out a sigh, and then squared his shoulders. He drew himself to his full height, his vivid green eyes blazing, and met Russetstripe's eyes, summoning the air of a leader. "Would you mind going hunting with Quailpool?"
"Sure." Russetstripe turned away from Sunfire to see Quailpool padding up towards her. The kind light in Quailpool's eyes knocked Russetstripe's walls down, and she followed the pale brown tabby she-cat out of camp. When the two cats entered the luscious green forest, Quailpool started to lead her through a well-trodden path towards the heart of the woods. But the looming trees that were covering the sky started to make Russetstripe's heart race in her chest.
"Don't you feel confined?" Russetstripe asked, never taking her eyes from the trees. "You can't feel the wind in your fur or the grass moving."
"Not really." Quailpool's whiskers twitched. "This is where I've grown up. What about you, Russetstripe? Do you feel confined?"
When Russetstripe gazed into Quailpool's eyes, she realized the pale tabby wasn't just talking about the woods. Russetstripe turned her head away to focus on a moving bramble bush just a few fox lengths away. "Yes."
"I know what you mean," Quailpool meowed. "Same old faces every day. Sometimes I wish I could wake up somewhere where everything was new and exciting" She let out a purr. "But I love my mate, Stagleap, and my daughter, Dewpaw. I wouldn't want to leave them for anything. Isn't there anyone you'd stay for?"
Russetstripe felt her tail twitch up grass from the ground. "I don't know." Originally she wouldn't leave her Clan because of Blackdove and Scorchstar. But Scorchstar felt more like a stranger with every passing day, and Russetstripe couldn't remember the last time she talked to Blackdove. She assumed the she-cat still wasn't pleased with her forbidden relationship. "I feel like an outcast in my own Clan. But… when I came here…" There had been some sort of spark when Rootstar had welcomed her with open arms, Sunfire had gazed at her with kindness in his green eyes despite battling with her last time, and Quailpool had been nice enough to hunt with her. Even Winterfall hadn't been as hostile as he used to be. "I felt welcomed."
Quailpool glanced upwards as a sparrow flew over them. "Well, I'm glad you feel welcome here," the she-cat mewed. "Most of us are happy to have some help."
Russetstripe shuddered as she thought about the venom Houndheart spat at her. Yeah. Most of you guys. She wondered how she would be able to deal with Houndheart. Maybe she just had to stay out of his way – hopefully, he would stay out of hers, and they would be fine. The dark ginger she-cat continued to walk with Quailpool. Her green eyes narrowed as she focused on a dark brown figure – a mouse. The she-cat dropped into a hunting position, thinking about how WindClan and ThunderClan's tactics must differ. If I'm in a forest with foliage... then I must be quiet and get close to it rather than chase it. She crept ever so slightly near the mouse, and when she was as close as she could without letting it know she was there, she pounced, quickly dispatching it with a bite to its neck.
"Good job!" Quailpool praised her as Russetstripe dropped the mouse onto the soft forest floor. "Looks like you've mastered forest hunting. No further training needed from me." She let out a rusty purr, and then quickly turned away from Russetstripe, her pale blue gaze focused on a figure in the distance. Then the brown tabby gave a massive leap before landing on a sparrow. The sparrow squealed, but before it could fly away, Quailpool killed it quickly with a bite to its neck. Russetstripe watched her.
"Oh, please," Russetstripe snorted. "I could never do that." Her green eyes glowed in admiration for the ThunderClan she-cat. Sniffing the air, she could make out another bird scent, but it was in the tree. She was completely helpless down here. She glanced at Quailpool. Curious, she asked, "Are you worried about Dewpaw?" That was her name, wasn't it?
Quailpool sighed, bringing her gaze down to her paws. She set the sparrow down on the dirt. "Yes, of course I'm worried," she murmured. "She's my only kit - a blessing from StarClan when I least expected it." Quailpool looked back up, facing Russetstripe. "It is a parent's job to worry, I trust that she will be brought home safe."
"If there's anything I've learned," Russetstripe said softly, "it's that the youngest cats are the strongest." The ginger cat looked around. "Mind you, they're also the ones who defy your every word." She purred with laughter.
Quailpool chuckled, a purr in her throat. "She has good warriors with her," she mewed. "And I trust Rootstar, I always have. He was my mentor, after all," the she-cat said with a smile.
"The God of War," Russetstripe murmured in quiet awe. "Cats of the Clans have called him crazy. Even I have. But... when I came into your camp... and I saw the strength in his eyes, the determination to protect his Clan... I take all of that back. He was willing to go on a journey to who knows where to save his Clan. I'm sorry I ever insulted him... he's one of the bravest Clan leaders I've seen." Russetstripe sat down. Her green eyes wavered and she looked at the ground, saying nothing.
Quailpool looked at her with softened eyes. "I might be biased, but I would not be the warrior that I am today without him. I appreciate nature, the beauty of things. I take sunlit walks and moonlit runs. Many may call him weak or strange... but it's not that black and white."
Just as Russetstripe was about to say something, an odd, unpleasant order wafted from the forest and drifted around the two she-cats. She froze in her tracks, recognizing the scent, pinpointing it to a certain animal. "That's a fox," she growled.
The ThunderClan she-cat who had she been confiding in flicked her tail to Russetstripe, signaling for her to be silent. The two cats crouched down, using the foliage to hide their pelts. In seconds, the fox leaped from the undergrowth, its eyes filled with predatory lust. Russetstripe dodged out of the way as the fox landed on nothing but the forest floor. Her heart pounded with adrenaline and her ears rushed with blood as she leaped on the fox's back and clawed its spine with her back claws. Quailpool leapt forward while the fox was distracted with Russetstripe, clawing at the fox's throat with a strong paw. The fox shook Russetstripe off its back and snapped its slathering jaws at Quailpool. Russetstripe ducked under the fox's stomach and sank her teeth into its elbow.
The fox let out a pained screech, blood pooling from several wounds. It shook Russetstripe away from its arm and bolted away, its ginger tail lashing behind it as it disappeared into the forest. Russetstripe was ready to give chase, but Quailpool stepped in front of her to stop her. "It's defeated," the she-cat meowed. "No need to chase it."
"But what if it stays on ThunderClan territory?" Russetstripe asked, confused.
"It won't." Quailpool's whiskers twitched. "I think it's learned its lesson."
"All right, if you say so." Russetstripe had her silent doubts, but she trusted Quailpool, both as a friend and as a senior warrior of ThunderClan. Russetstripe picked up the mouse in her jaws while Quailpool grabbed the sparrow she had caught. The two she-cats quietly made their way through the forest, back to the ThunderClan camp.
The camp where Russetstripe would be living in for a while.