Life 3:14

It was finally time for a Gathering, one that Snakepaw could actually attend. Riverclan had set off towards Fourtrees. The moon shined brightly overhead. Gatherings always brought Snakepaw a certain amount of joy. He'd get to see old friends again. Even if not every one of them recognized him, he'd at least get to see how they grew. It was a melancholic joy. He got to see them continue their lives happily, but he would no longer be a participant. In the event he ever got to meet them again, they'd be different, grown, but he'd still be the same. It was a painful experience that Snakepaw had long since grown accustomed to.

Riverclan emerged into Fourtrees. The three other clans were already present. Clearly something had the other clans tense, but Snakepaw could not predict what. Either way, Snakepaw decided to check in with the rest of the medicine cats first, as was proper for a medicine cat apprentice. The three nodded to him respectfully, knowing that he was something as ancient and experienced as Starclan. He nodded back, accepting that they have depths of wisdom that he never learned and never would learn.

Briefly the medicine cats chatted on the various illnesses and injuries they encountered and how to treat them. Mudfur did bring up the rediscovery of Molly's Herb, which helped with period cramps. He even brought a sample so the other medicine cats could know what the herb looked like for when they looked for it on their territory. He also gave them the warning Snakepaw gave him. The herb is useful, a bit too useful. It's easy to deplete it so hard that it won't grow back. The other medicine cats took note of that, and agreed to use it sparingly if it was low.

Snakepaw decided to take advantage of the distraction the new herb gave and snuck off. He wanted to see how Fireheart was and check in on Windclan. Unfortunately, leaders usually maintain a brief private council before the major announcements were made. Thus, Snakepaw couldn't visit Tallstar, despite how three of the four leaders would welcome him warmly.

It took Snakepaw a couple minutes to navigate the crowd and find Fireheart. Of course, Snakepaw noticed that Fireheart was trailing Tigerclaw, seemingly spying on him. Well, Snakepaw decided he would not be ignored. He snuck up on Fireheart, leaning in close to the cat's ear unnoticed before mewing semi loudly, "Hey Fireheart."

Of course, Fireheart spun in a panic. It made Snakepaw collapse laughing.

"Gah! Snakepaw? What are you doing here?" He mewed quickly.

Snakepaw gave him a look with a slightly tilted head that conveyed all that Snakepaw needed for an answer. 'Really?'

Fireheart shook his head, realizing the stupidity of his question. "Right. Yeah. I should have expected this. You look… not as old as I thought you'd be by now."

"Yeah. Got gotten by Brokenstar a while back. He was out in Windclan's far territories. I'm a medicine cat now." Snakepaw explained without much thought.

"Brokenstar?" Fireheart questioned, his voice turning sharper and more aggressive.

"I mean, yeah. Getting got by someone isn't exactly new to me. Ancients, getting got by the same cat more than once isn't even all that special. Now old Oneeye, not the Thunderclan one, that cat was a piece of work. She managed to get me like seven times. It doesn't help that I was apathetic at the time, so I never really made the effort to avoid her. She still did target me a lot. I think she was one of those crazy cats who think my 'blessing' can somehow be stolen. Trust me. If I could just give it away, I would have long ago." Snakepaw dismissed, drawing concern from Fireheart.

"How can you be so blasé about that?" He questioned with concern.

"If you can't tell, it's happened to me a lot. At some point, it went from terrifying to just an acceptable pain of fate. It just doesn't phase me anymore. I mean, it's going to happen, whether I fight it or not. I'd rather just make it worth it. At least I got Brokenstar back with that one, and Windclan was safer because they found me. Now I get to benefit Riverclan, and I'm making a lot of progress." Snakepaw answered with a measure of pride.

Fireheart wanted to discuss this more with Snakepaw, but he also had an instinctive duty to watch Tigerclaw. Snakepaw caught on to this. "What's got you so interested in Tigerclaw all of a sudden?"

Fireheart let out a huff, knowing Snakepaw wasn't going to drop it. "I've got reason to believe Tigerclaw killed Redtail and seeks to do the same to Bluestar." He admitted.

"Hold up. Tigerclaw? I mean, he's a brute, but to go that far… You know what, I can see it. He's the relentlessly ambitious type. Though, I'll admit that he's far sneakier about this than any bad cat I've ever met. Usually, they're pretty keen on telling every cat how great they are. Have you gathered any proof yet?" Snakepaw asked.

Fireheart begrudgingly gave his answer. "Well, no. I mean, Ravenpaw admitted that he witnessed Tigerclaw kill Redtail, but he fled the clan because he feared Tigerclaw would kill him for knowing. Then there's what happened to Cinderpaw…"

"Yeah. She's the Thunderclan medicine cat apprentice, right? With the bad leg?" Snakepaw chirped in.

"Yeah… She didn't always have a bad leg. She was tricked onto the Thunderpath and hit by a monster. The trap was for Bluestar initially." Fireheart admitted.

Snakepaw nodded, accepting the story. "Alright. What else?" Snakepaw queried.

"What else?" Fireheart asked, believing what he had might have been enough. "What else could there be?"

"I mean, with Ravenpaw gone, you've got nothing to go on with his story besides hearsay. That only leaves what happened to Cinderpaw, and one incident does not a trend make." Snakepaw answered.

"Then what should I do?" Fireheart asked, looking lost.

"Well, since you probably can't expand upon Cinderpaw's story, you've got to prove that Ravenpaw's story is irrefutable. How can you prove that only Tigerclaw could have killed Redtail? Where did the murder occur? What events preceded it? Are they related at all? What was the motive? Was there any other cat present? If not, why wasn't there? Your best way to prove what did happen is to disprove what didn't happen. It might not be enough, but it'll give you something to work with." Snakepaw lectured. "Ancients. I haven't had a good investigation in ages. It's a shame I'm not in Thunderclan anymore. I always had a nose for clues… and admittedly trouble, but those two go paw in paw. I can't believe I'm missing out. It's so unfair." Snakepaw pouted making Fireheart chuckle.

"Alright. I'll tell you what. If this somehow involves Riverclan, I'll let you know. I'm sure you can dig something up." Fireheart placated with a smile.

Their conversation was cut short as the announcements began, and it was revealed that Thunderclan was harboring Brokenstar. 'This is not going to go well for Thunderclan.' Snakepaw thought privately.