Mews of alarm and the pounding of paws aroused Graystripe from his slumber. Blinking against the harsh rays of sunlight streaming into the warriors den, he sits up, wondering what the fuss is about.
But before he can take a step out of his mossy nest, a golden head appears in the warrior's den. It's Sandstorm, her pale green eyes gleaming with excitement.
"We've captured two Shadowclan warriors!" she mews, breathless.
"What, where?" the news making him instantly awake.
"They were beside the Owl Tree," Sandstorm explains, she adds, "they were asleep." Her mew sounding condescending, as if she can't believe fearsome Shadowclan warriors would make such a silly mistake.
"Have you told Bluestar?"
"Dustpelt's seeing to that now."
She ducks out of the warriors den, and Graystripe follows after her and past Runningwind, who jerks his head, startled awake by the commotion.
Graystripe had slept nicely, despite the questioning stares that he received when he was named deputy by the other clan cats. Sandstorm's support helped and most of his clanmates have already accepted him. Though he was worried about them sharing the truth, that Tigerclaw attacked them a moon ago and killed one of their warriors, and injured most of the clan. But he understands Bluestar wants to keep her misjudgement a secret from the other clans. Come to think of it, he hasn't, in the stories the elders remember, heard of a deputy betraying a leader before for power.
Then there's the problem of the new Thunderclan prisoners who were captured by the Dawn patrol. Bluestar still seems shaken, and worry pricks his stomach. Will he have to deal with these intruders? He found himself hoping Bluestar could guide him.
The dawn patrol is gathered in a circle in the middle of the clearing. Pushing through them he sees the two Shadowclan cats crouching on the hard earth. Their tails are bushed out and their ears are flattened.
He recognizes one of the warriors at once. It's Littlecloud, a brown tabby tom. They had met at a gathering when Littlecloud was no more than a kit when Lionheart and Fireheart were still alive. He was forced into apprenticeship by Brokentail when he was three moons old. Littlecloud is full-grown now, but still small-framed and he didn't look too good. His fur is matted and he reeks of crowfood and fear. His haunches are bony, like featherless wings, and his eyes sunk in his head. The other one isn't much better. These were hardly warriors worthy of excitement from the way Sandstorm mewed about them, much less feared.
Looking at Whitestorm he asks, "Did they put up a fight when you found them?"
"No." Whitestorm admits, flicking his tail. "When we woke them up they begged to be taken here."
Feeling confused, he echoes, "Begged you? Why would they do that?"
Though noticing both Shadowclan cats didn't seem too good, by their tiny frames, matted fur, and their bones sticking out he bets that's why they're here. But Shadowclan has a Medicine cat, Runningnose. So why would they seek help for their condition here?
"Where are the Shadowclan warriors?!" Bluestars mew rings through the audience of warriors, her face twisted with fear and rage."Is this another attack?" she hisses at the wretched cats.
"Whitestorm found them on Patrol. They were sleeping in Thunderclan territory, and begged to come here….." Graystripe quickly explains, trying to smooth Bluestar's fear and rage.
"Sleeping? And they begged to be brought here?" snarls Bluestar, flattening her ears, "Were there others?"
"These were the only warriors we found." Whitestorm mews.
"It could still be a trap." She narrows her blue eyes and her same fear and rage still shining in them.
Graystripe looks at the two cats, and his instincts tell him that an invasion is the last thing on their minds. They are in no condition to fight and they seemed to be desperate for help. But Bluestar has a point. It would be wise to make sure other Shadowclan cats weren't in the territory waiting to strike. He calls to Longtail, and Sandstorm, "I want you two to take a warrior and an apprentice each and search the territory. We need to make absolutely sure there are no other Shadowclan warriors on our territory."
Sandstorm calls Brackenfur and Cloudpaw, while Longtail calls Swiftpaw and Dustpelt then the six cats race out of camp and into the forest. He's relieved he has cats he can trust on the job. Turning back to the trembling captive, he asks gently, "What are you two doing on Thunderclan territory? And what are you doing here?"
Littlecloud, the brown tabby tom, along with the other cat stares at him with big round fearful eyes. A stab of sympathy goes through him. They look like lost and helpless kits desperately needing help.
"W-Whitethroat and I came here h-hoping you'd give us food and healing herbs." Littlecloud stammers after a few moments.
Hisses of disbelief rise among the gathered cats, and Littlecloud shrinks back, pressing his scrawny body against the hard baked earth.
Graystripe stares at the prisoners in shock and amazement. Since when did Shadowclan ask for help from their bitterest enemy?
"Graystripe, wait." Cinderpelt mews, hobbling herself to where the sick cats are.
She studies the two cats with narrowed eyes."They are no threat to us. These cats are too sick to fight." She limps forward and touches Littlecloud's paw gently with her nose, "His paw is warm. He has a fever."
Cinderpelt goes to touch the second cat's paw when Yellowfang forces her way through the throng of cats.
"Get away from those cats Cinderpelt." She mews sternly.
"Why, these cats are sick!" Cinderpelt yowls, leaping around. "They need our help!"
She then turns to him and Bluestar, a pleading look in her eyes. Everycat turns expectantly to Bluestar, but the Thunderclan leader just stares, wide-eyed, at the captives. Graystripe can see the old gray she-cat struggling with bewilderment and fear, her blue eyes clouded with confusion. Realizing that he needs to distract the other cats from doubting their leader more, he mews, "Why us? What made you come to our territory to ask for help?"
"Thunderclan has helped Shadowclan before, when you drove out Brokentail." The second cat, Whitethroat, explains quietly, speaking up for the first time, a black tom with white paws and a white spot on his chest that used to be white along with his paws, but are now stained with dust.
He stares stunned at Whitethroat. Did he forget that Thunderclan gave sanctuary to Brokentail as well, he thinks as a ripple of unease goes through him. Then he realizes that Brokentail had forced them to be apprentices too young, and took them away from their mothers sides before they were ready. Banishing Brokentail was the best thing that happened to them, so what happened after probably did not matter as long as Brokentail was gone from Shadowclan. It pales in insignificance because Brokentail was such a bad leader, that they foregone their Clan's rivalry in order to survive.
Whitethroat goes on, "We hoped that because you helped Shadowclan before, you would be willing to help us again."
That confirms his suspicions along with his earlier statement.
"Nightstar is sick and most of the cats in camp are also sick. It's been chaotic ever since, and there hasn't been enough fresh-kill and herbs to go around."
"What is Runningnose doing? He's your medicine cat and I did not train him to be so incompetent." Yellowfang mews, her anger fading a bit.
"Nightstar seemed fine at the Gathering last night." Darkstripe growls.
"Yes," agrees Bluestar, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
But Graystripe remembers how frail the Shadowclan leader looked and he's not surprised when Littlecloud mews, "He's gotten worse since he came back from the Gathering. Runningnose was with him all night. He will not leave our leader's side. He even left a kit to die by its mother's side without a poppy seed to ease its pain on its journey to Starclan! We're afraid he'll let us die too! Please help us!"
Littlecloud's plea sounds real enough to him, and he's even taken aback by just how real it sounds. They're desperate, really desperate. Looking hopefully at Bluestar, she realizes she still looks bewildered.
"If we help them they can't stay in camp." Yellowfang mews sternly.
"Why not?" Cinderpelt asks.
Yellowfang flicks her tail, "They carry a disease I've seen before in Shadowclan. It killed many cats last time despite my efforts because of how fast it spread."
She circles around the Shadowclan cats, studying them.
"It's not greencough is it?" Graystripe meows. Some of the Thunderclan cats back away as he mentioned the sickness that plagued them during lear-bare.
"No. It has no name. It comes from the Carrionplace rats in Shadowclan territory. Didn't the elders warn you?"
Littlecloud shakes his head, "An apprentice carried the rat back into camp who was too young to remember."
Listening to the laboring breath of the cats, they needed to do something. "What should we do?" He asks, looking at Bluestar.
Yellowfang speaks up before Bluestar can answer, "Bluestar these cats can be treated, I know it, but they have to have a place outside camp. I do not want to risk getting us all tainted with the sickness, especially since greencough last leaf-bare made you lose a life. And since Cinderpelt is so eager to help them, they can be her responsibility, so long as she is careful."
The old dark-gray she-cat flickers her amber gaze onto Cinderpelt. Cinderpelt looks surprised but dips her head in acknowledgment. Graystripe is shocked, but meows, "Me and Cinderpelt can find a good place for them to be."
Yellowfang nods, "And when you do, tell the warriors where they are so they can avoid getting tainted. And Graystripe, Cinderpelt when you get back, wash your pelts immediately and then see me in my den for herbs. We can't take any chances."
She then approaches him and whispers, "You said Cinderpelt needed a chance to prove herself…."
"So that's why you assigned her to the duty of caring for them."
"Yes, despite me having terrible memories of the sickness ravaging my home and me failing to heal some of my clanmates…I will give Cinderpelt a chance. She wants to help them get well…. And that determination will probably help her out in healing them."
Graystripe nods, "I think so too. She's a good compassionate, cat. Fireheart would be proud of the Medicine cat she's become. She just needs to believe in herself."
Yellowfang purrs, "He would be proud. Now get going. Cinderpelt is waiting with the sick cats."
Graystripe dips his head and turns around and bounds towards Cinderpelt and the sick cats who are at the entrance. He feels relieved that the clan is willing to help the cats. Despite everything, he can't help but feel proud. This is what Fireheart would have wanted and….Silverstream. It also just feels right. Helping the other clans instead of wasting their time fighting.