Bleah. <Topic title fail.>

[Mousy]

[OoC:// I have moved Fireshadow. Toadpelt and Hawktalon are following her right now.]

Fireshadow still felt a lot of pain from the wounds, but she couldn't help but worry about the little kit that she'd met. The only cat that was in the medicine cat den at that time was Hawktalon, and he might not remember. Oh well. It was worth a try.

"Hawktalon..." she whispered. Hawktalon padded over and sat down beside her. "I wasn't born here, was I...? I came here from RiverClan..." She mewed. Toadpelt looked at her, slightly confused.

*******

Oh, mousedung. She'd found out. But how...? He'd never told her, Toadpelt didn't know, and most of ShadowClan were younger than her apart from the elders, who probably wouldn't tell her in the first place. So how had she found out...?

"Yes... You were... By Foxfoot. You'll know her, if you see her." he mewed anxiously. How had she found out?! Well, maybe she'd seen StarClan, and there was a RiverClan cat there to greet her... Foxfoot had mentioned a dead sibling, after all... It was always possible.

*******

Toadpelt was confused. He had never known Fireshadow was from RiverClan, and none of the rest of ShadowClan did either. Maybe Hawktalon was bluffing, but he wasn't around when Fireshadow was born... But still.

"Are you sure, Hawktalon...?" He asked anxiously. Hawktalon sighed and nodded. "But how do you know?" He asked. Hawktalon sighed and looked at his paws. He was unusually quiet, but he was injured, and slightly anxious, probably because of the thing with the kit Fireshadow had told him about... How he got the burn scar. He was somehow unable to believe that Hawktalon would save a kit from death. It just seemed ridiculous of this evil cat who was his adversary. But, cats do unlikely things.

For example, Toadpelt never expected Fireshadow to stay friends with Swiftstorm. It just seemed confusing. Fireshadow was also friends with Near and Far, but had spat at Alfa. Admittedly, Alfa seemed a little suspicious, but why spit at one loner when she could spit at them all? She was an unpredictable she-cat. He had never expected her to help Hawktalon out, for example, fighting the dog. But she had. She had a duty to her Clan, but that was something that she didn't seem to see Hawktalon as part of the Clan. She saw him as an outsider, for some reason. He didn't understand why. Her hatred of him was unjust. There had been great cats in the past who had not believed in StarClan. But with Fireshadow, this was a different matter. She believed strongly in StarClan...

[Yoko]

Lizardeye padded in after his kin and Fireshadow and Hawktalon. They did not seem to mind or even notice his presence as they discussed Fireshadow's heritage. Lizardeye was mildly interested in it, but distracted by something else.

He crept around the edge of the den, which was crammed with cats at this point and glanced over the rest of the patients with a cold eye, seeking out a certain light and dark pelt.

((OOC: Short post cause I have to go now))

[Ki]

Feathercloud had padded ahead a bit. She wasn't any use when it came to physical labor. If anything she just got under everybody's paws and was a nuisance. Though the medicine cat could still remember the days when she was a kit and determined to be a warrior, despite her extreme small size. But no she knew her place was as a medicine cat, serving her Clan. And she certainly had a lot to serve! She carefully padded around her other patients as the toms brought Fireshadow and Hawktalon in. With numerous warriors came numerous injuries. Numerous illnesses. She would need an apprentice just to keep up with them!

Thank you Toadpelt, Lizardeye." Feathercloud mewed to the two warriors. She heard rustling and mewing from the nursery. She smiled just a bit. Duskkit and Tawnykit must be playfighting. Well, as long as they were careful.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Brindlepelt had been sleeping soundly (if a bit stiffly) until a few minutes previous. She had blinked awake, unusually groggy and stiff due to her injury, to the sound of yowling in the clearing, and to the scent of blood. Great StarClan, what is it now? Right then she felt to weary to muster much interest in the latest Clan drama, and never mind that she hadn't exactly been a social butterfly in the first place. Sighing quietly, she rested her head on her paws and closed her midnight blue eyes again, gathering her strength for the day as shuffles and meows filtered into the den.

She could tell it was early, but that didn't particularly bother her. She was used to waking up early; the few times she'd slept in, Lightfeather had roused her with her own exuberant awakening. Brindlepelt breathed deeply and let her senses wander over the sounds and smells that had permeated the medicine den's walls. She obviously wasn't going on any patrols today but, she thought peacefully, she could still rest here and listen to the activity of the rest of the camp. Being confined to her nest was hardly a chore; most of her free time was spend hunting alone or sitting in the shadows at the edge of camp in any case.

A wave of scents washed over her nose, and a moment later there was a rustle at the entrance as several cats shuffled inside. Brindlepelt cracked open one dark blue eye with interest and tracked the progress of Hawktalon and Toadpelt as they guided Fireshadow into a nest. The three warriors were followed by the medicine cat, Feathercloud, and... Brindlepelt's heart jumped a bit with surprise as Lizardeye flowed silently into the den. What was he doing here? Raising her head for the first time since the other cats had entered the den, she watched the cats milling around the den with new-found interest.

That was the third cat injured in two days, she noted at Fireshadow's numerous wounds and heavy bleeding. The savage ragged nature of the injuries suggested a battle with a fox, or perhaps even a dog. Feathercloud would have her paws full, that was for sure. And, Brindlepelt noted with an inward sigh, the den was getting crowded. She tilted her head a bit and gazed from the shadows at Fireshadow, Toadpelt, and Hawktalon as they exchanged hushed words. She had barely caught the injured she-cat's whisper, but the toms' words were clear enough. The dappled tortoiseshell's eyes flicked to Lizardeye, mild interest lighting them despite her solemn expression. Did he know what this was all about?

OoC// Long post. XS Why can I never make a short, simple post with Brindlepelt? Curse you and your rambling thought processes.

[Yoko]

Lizardeye caught sight of her in the shade of the inner den. She was stirring slowly, and he watched her from a distance, in silence. He scented the den and caught the sting of pungent herbs. He wrinkled his nose for a moment, but pressed onward. He was no medicine cat, but even the dullest of warriors could pick up a scent of illness or infection, and being the cat he was he would certainly catch it. The wound's aren't infected, he thought, but he knew he wouldn't be certain unless he asked Feathercloud.

It disturbed him a little....that he was relieved to see her breathing, that she had not died of the blood loss last night. He had seen clanmates join StarClan before. While their lives interested him, he had no real worry for them. If they live on forever elsewhere, why worry? That was how he felt for any cat aside from his brothers these days.

She's awake, he thought, still watching her. Did we wake her?

He looked over at Feathercloud, who was tiny amongst the other three warriors and himself.She'll need space to work in a moment. "Hello, Feathercloud," he mewed monotonely, "May I help you with something? Do you need more cobwebs?"

After all, the injuries had been coming one after another lately.

[Ki]

((I had no idea there was a reply to this *fail*))

Feathercloud dipped her head to Lizardeye, trying to express her thanks. "Yes, thank you Lizardeye. I'll think I'll need more." She would wait until Fireshadow was laying down to begin treating her. The she-cat might as well get comfortable, because she could be in this den for some time with injuries like that. The medicine cat finally caught the whisper and processed what it meant. Well, what did it matter? Fireshadow was part of ShadowClan now. And it was Feathercloud's job to save her. She noticed Brindlepelt raise her head and nodded to her. Feathercloud wanted to make sure none of her other patients were disturbed. They needed their rest. That was why she usually spoke in a quiet voice in her den. Unless she didn't have any patients. Which was a rarity in itself.

[Yoko]

Lizardeye nodded curtly. The medicine cat den was too crowded for now to stay in, but he had to have a reason to come back later. There may be a few cobsebs around camp, but certainly not enough to treat all the injured that might come back from this dog patrol. He would have to go into the forest. Besides, he had other things that needed attending. This dog could interfere with his plans.

Snaking slowly through the crowd, Lizardeye slipped out of the den and into the camp. Twistedclaw was looking hungrily out of the entrance. Praying for the dog to come here, Lizardeye observed. No doubt his brother wanted an excuse to go into the forest too,k but knowing him he'd go right after that dog. We can't afford to openly disdobey our leader's orders. It would set us back greatly after all the trust we have earned.

So instead of going out the main entrance, Lizardeye circled behind the warrior's den and crept out of camp silently.

[Mousy]

[OoC:// I exist!]

As she lay down, Fireshadow began to wish that she was able to remember her birth, and more than the last three moons of her kithood. She made a mental note to ask Tallhawk, Redleaf or Gorsestorm when she was better, or to ask Hawktalon for more answers. She was one of the older cats in the Clan. Not old as such, but older. Only eleven cats were older than her, and fewer than that would be able to give her any definite answers.

She was mulling this over in her mind like a particuarly nice pice of freshkill or a good hunt when Toadpelt got up and left. She had vaguely registered Lizardeye leaving, but hadn't paid it much attention. Mostly because she couldn't concentrate. She was too busy thinking about the patrols. She hoped that no cat would get hurt. The Clan wasn't small, but it would be tragic to lose any warriors, particularly with this dog on the loose. It would be also to wreak as much havoc as it liked and go unchecked.

She found that she could hardly move her leg when she tried to. She then remembered that she had fallen awkwardly on it, and maybe hurt it particuarly badly. She didn't care. She could deal with physical pain; it was just psychological pain that didn't leave her alone. The pain of losing Rabbitclaw, finding out that she wasn't born in ShadowClan, Swiftstorm leaving; they were pain that wouldn't go away for a long time. But, she hoped she would see Rabbitclaw if she joined StarClan, she could visit RiverClan and ask about Foxfoot and her other kin, and Swiftstorm was still her friend. So, she had nothing to worry about. Or so she thought...

The cat that she'd killed... The she-cat. She'd only later discovered that she was carrying kits, and it had been too late. The cat was already dead. What if she couldn't go that StarClan because of that?! And what if that cat had been carrying the kits of her kin? What if that cat had been her kin?! There was no way around it: She was a murderer.

But, this was too much for her to think. She let the pain wash over her in waves until it hurt her too much to think. But, she made no sound. This strange she-cat was always there at the back of her mind, pestering her. But StarClan provided no answers...

[OoC:// Aaaaannnnnd... That's what happens when it's after school and I want to ramble.]

Hawktalon was watching Fireshadow when Toadpelt and Lizardeye had left. He suddenly remembered: He had a meeting with Zero and Alfa! If he hadn't remembered, he's get clawed to death, and claws in his back were the last thing he needed. He shifted his weight from paw to paw then made a poor excuse and left. He didn't want to wast Feathercloud's time in the first place. Fireshadow required more and closer attention.

As he left, he saw Toadpelt sulking in the warriors' den. He wouldn't let himself be side-tracked, though. Definitely not. He hated Toadpelt, for the main part. He had attacked him.

He turned and walked out of camp through the back of the warriors' den, hoping that no cat had spotted him. Zero wouldn't ask, and hopefully this new cat would have the good sense to hold his tongue about the wounds. If not? They would both get clawed.

[OoC @ Sporelett:// I'm jealous of your long posts. Really, I am.]

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Brindlepelt watched the goings on of the den with idle interest. Her midnight eyes flicked continuously back to Lizardeye and away again. There was something about him that made her intensely curious and nervous at the same time. Of all the cats in the Clan, he seemed the least likely to get involved in the affairs of other cats. Yet instead of guarding camp with his brother, here he was offering help to the medicine cat. The dappled she-cat followed him with her eyes as he slipped out of the den to go fetch cobwebs. He had been a different cat during his apprenticeship, still quiet, but not cold as he was now, and she thought she knew the reason. She knew that he had been very close to Dapplepelt, perhaps even loved her. He had liked her enough to choose to spend time with her over his brothers, so the bond must have been genuine. Then she had died. Brindlepelt remembered the despair she had felt over the death of her kits, and her heart ached a little with sympathy.

Breathing a quiet sigh, she realized that all the other cats had left, leaving only Feathercloud and her patients in the den. The injured warrior tried moving her foreleg and winced as pain lanced through her shoulder. She would be in here for a while yet until she recovered. Thankfully she wasn't the type to get incredibly bored from sitting still for long periods of time (unlike her sisters, who would both have been trying to go on patrols as soon as the bleeding had stopped), but she did have an apprentice to train. Brindlepelt hoped that her shoulder healed soon, so she could begin Thornpaw's training properly. She felt bad for leaving him without a mentor, even though she knew that Lightfeather would take it upon herself to take him out with Hazelpaw until she was better. The tortoiseshell warrior wanted to train her apprentice as well as she was able, for she owed it to him and to the Clan to do a good job. Resting her head on her paws, she tried to ignore the itching of her lacerated shoulder, and found herself wondering when Lizardeye would return.

[Ki]

Feathercloud began pressing cobwebs against the deepest of Fireshadow's wounds to stop the bleeding. The small she-cat worked quickly, padding around and pressing them gently against the wounds. As she worked her eyes scanned Fireshadow for the most serious injuries. One of her legs seemed to be injured badly. She hoped it wasn't a bone injury. It was hard enough treating Smokeheart's broken leg. Feathercloud had little experince with broken bones, so she was nervous whenever the occasion arose where she did have to treat them. Her mind was racing. So many things were happening at once! Smokeheart's broken leg, Brindlepelt's injured shoulder, Poppyfrost's kits, and now Fireshadow had been injured by a dog! Then there was that disturbing message from StarClan about a golden owl and kit blood. And the other message of two new kits in the Clan. Kits from outside the Clan.

At least I have a cover for collecting extra herbs. she thought. With so many cats in her den at the moment, no one would notice her collecting herbs for the approaching battle. Specklestar had confided in her that they would soon attack another Clan for territory. Feathercloud supported her leader whole-heartedly, and wouldn't dream of telling anyone. But the thought of battle always unnerved her. More of her friends would be injured. Once the cobwebs were applied, she pulled the wild garlic over and began to apply that so that infection would be prevented. She paused for a moment, however, and pushed some poppy seeds towards Fireshadow with her paw.

"Eat those." she mewed gently. Then she quickly went back to her work and her own private thoughts.

[Mousy]

Fireshadow pushed the seeds towards herself and ate two. After a bit of time, the scars hurt less. She sighed, thinking that the seeds had numbed her brain as well. She hoped they had numbed her. She would much rather die than stay there like she was unable to move, which was rather painful. But, on the other paw, what if dying took her to the Dark Forest? She wished that Smokekit would talk to her again. Obviously, he wouldn't.

She watched Brindlepelt out of one green eye, wondering what the fox had done to her to stop her from being her usual self when there was a loud yowl from outside. Her head flew up and she glanced out. Unfortunately, she only saw a flash of white as Snowpaw, the young deaf apprentice, ran out, then a flash of dusty grey as Dustpaw followed him. She wondered what had happened, but quickly dropped off to sleep, thanks to the poppy seeds she'd eaten.

In her dream, Fireshadow found herself back in StarClan. She glanced around, and a familiar grey kit padded out of the darkness, followed by a handsome tabby tom. Fireshadow politely dipped her head. The tabby twitched his tail, and the three ran off. Fireshadow loved running, particularly when it wasn't away from danger. Like a dog, for example.

When the three cats reached their destination, Smokekit padded over to Fireshadow, and the two walked forwards. They were at the edge of StarClan's hunting ground, and beside them was a huge, dark pine forest. Fireshadow's hackles immediately rose and she glanced at the two cats.

"This is... The dark forest..." she mewed, terrified. The two cats nodded, and an elegant spotted she-cat padded to the edge of the dark forest, settling herself down. She glanced up at Fireshadow with dark green eyes much like her own. Fireshadow felt a shudder run through herself. "Are you... My... Kin...?" She asked in a low whisper. The cat nodded. Fireshadow closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was back in the Medicine Cat's den.

[Ki]

Feathercloud was applying goldenrod to the deepest of Fireshadow's wounds when Smokeheart hobbled out of the den. The yowling outside grew louder. Feathercloud wasn't exactly sure whatw as going on, but Smokeheart needed to stay off her leg! She looked at Fireshadow.

"I'll be right back. All of you try to get some rest. That includes you, Brindlepelt!" her words were gentle and patient as always. It was a rare occasion when Feathercloud got snappy with cats, and she never did so with her patients. Feathercloud padded out of the den. Smokeheart needed to rest! What was she thinking getting up and wandering about? And, for that matter, what were all the other cats yowling about? The dog wasn't in camp, she was sure. Else there'd be more sounds of fighting as well as barking and baying. Cats were darting towards the nursery it seemed...

Feathercloud suddenly remembered her dream. She'd been standing in the marshes, unable to move, while a golden owl attacked the nursery.

Had StarClan's warning come to pass?!

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Well, it couldn't be said that sleeping in the medicine cat's den wasn't interesting. Since she was awake, Brindlepelt occupied herself with locating all the herbs she could see and trying to remember their names and uses. She was no expert on herbs, but she did know the names and uses of many of them from watching Feathercloud treat other patients. And then the medicine cat had to rush out after Smokeheart when the young warrior made a dash for the clearing, or rather a hobble. Brindlepelt felt mildly amused that the small she-cat would think of telling her specifically to stay in her nest, since she had no intention of going anywhere and had shown no signs of wanting to. But she settled resignedly in her nest and awaited the other she-cat's return.

Letting her eyes roam the den, she pricked her ears in an effort to hear what was going on out in the clearing, but she wasn't having much luck with that, so eventually she gave up. Deciding that the sooner she recovered, the sooner she could start returning to her duties, the dappled warrior tentatively arched her back, careful not to move her injured shoulder. She stretched each back leg in turn to work the stiffness out of them, and then sat up and did the same for her right front leg. She wasn't quite ready to try moving her left foreleg yet; she was sure that if she did so, it would open up and probably get infected. But she did still have the previous night's mixture of marigold and cobwebs applied to it, and it was getting uncomfortable. Lying back down and resisting the urge to start licking the concoction off, she waited for Feathercloud's return and hoped that the medicine cat would remove the stuff when she came back.

[Yoko]

When Twistedclaw finally finished his rant about Icepelt, Lizardeye stepped into the Medicine Cat Den. He had not wanted to disturb the injured cats anymore than he already had. His mouth full of cobwebs, he padded over to the empty place where the cobwebs had been stored.

I should have brought more, he thought, observing deep wounds on Fireshadow's pelt, and glancing over at Brindlepelt.

Twistedclaw was busy sniffing various herbs as if he had some genuine interest in them. Lizardeye watched, with great curiousity, as his brother actually touch a dock leaf. But he had more interest in Brindlepelt who appeared fully awake.

"How are your injuries?"

He then heard Runningfrost calling from the clearing. Nodding to excuse himself from the would-be conversation he leapt over to the entrance to respond. The deputy was asking for a runner to send so Specklestar would know about the kits. Lizardeye chose Dapplepaw, because she looked rested enough to be quick about it.

Quietly, he turned back to Brindlepelt. "Do you know what's going on out there? Has any cat told you?" he mewed.

[Ki]

Feathercloud paused briefly at her den entrance. Her ears swiveled back to listen to Runningfrost's verdict. So they were going to fetch Specklestar. Nodding once to herself, Feathercloud slipped inside past Lizardeye and Brindlepelt. She did not want to interuppt, so she merely blinked her thanks to Lizardeye and began to press the extra cobwebs on some of the wounds that were still bleeding a bit. Her eyes fell on Twistedclaw sniffing at the herbs and smiled a bit. "Are you interested in the herbs, Twistedclaw?" She surveyed Fireshadow again before quickly deciding to apply some more goldenrod to a particularly deep gash. It would need a little extra to heal. Feathercloud glanced at Twistedclaw again. "I've been meaning to ask Specklestar if she could spare a warrior to help me around here. At least until StarClan sends me an apprentice."

Once the extra goldenrod was applied, Feathercloud sat down. She'd let Brindlepelt finish talking with Lizardeye before Feathercloud would inspect her own wound. The tiny she-cat began to lick her paws daintily. Poor Tawnykit and Duskkit! The kit blood in the nursery disturbed her deeply. Kits were terribly sad to treat. They always mewed pitifully and looked longingly at their playmates outside. Feathercloud tried to shove this thought out of her mind. It was all up to StarClan now. "Of course," she mewed, speaking to Twistedclaw again. "I doubt she would give me a warrior as strong as you, Twistedclaw. All cats are valuable to the Clan, of course. But your strength is a great gift from StarClan."

((I'm starting to like TwistedclawxFeathercloud more and more. XD))