-❂-

As a breeze coarsed through the woods and rattled the tree branches above, Lynxpaw kept her gaze ahead and sharp. She trekked onwards with Fernpaw and Mottledrose right at her tail, their paws crushing the leaves below them and crackling the dying, dew-soaked grass. Leaf-fall had arrived, the leaves igniting in an array of vibrant colors and a colder, bone-chilling environment surrounding them. As Lynxpaw glanced to and fro, she could only see misery embedded in the vivid, lively scenery around her. Leaf-fall meant Leafbare was approaching, and Leafbare meant scarcer prey and unbearable weather.

Nightfrost had sent the three of them on a hunt for herbs they were in desperate need of. Ever since HeathClan arrived two sunsets ago, they had used many herbs on treating the battered and wounded cats. Lynxpaw winced as she remembered reviewing their opened wounds, now infected since they had traveled on without bothering healing them. Every HeathClanner had some of injury, even the smallest kit had a scratch upon her muzzle. They all were attacked by their own Clanmates, leaving more wounds than just the ones on the surface.

Lynxpaw halted as a familiar sight caught her attention. She swerved off of their straight path, her muzzle twitching as she approached a blooming supply of chervil, it's leaves pointing towards her due to the wind. "Chervil!" Lynxpaw squeaked, excitement buzzing in her voice. She blinked and drowned out her unneeded twinge of cheerfulness, turning to Fernpaw and beckoning him forward.

"The roots and the leaves are both useful for infected wounds... I think," Fernpaw muttered under his breath, Lynxpaw flashing the apprentice a judgemental look. He twitched under her gaze and chuckled nervously. "I've never gathered chervil before, but I know it's usage."

Lynxpaw stared at him for a moment, memories of gathering herbs with Nightfrost keeping her in a trance for a moment. She grew cold at the memories of those days, where no visions haunted her and she was able to sleep peacefully within RidgeClan camp. "I'll gather the roots, you stick with the leaves. Just be delicate," Lynxpaw instructed, shoving her thoughts aside and turning back to the chervil plant.

Without waiting for a nod of approval from Fernpaw, the molly unsheathed her claws and tore through the soft, wet soil below her. Shredded grass weaved in between her toes and the fur around her pads grew damp as she dug carefully and slowly towards the roots of the plant. After what felt like sunrises of digging, her steady movement ceased as she noticed brown, knobby roots sticking out through the dirt. Relief flooded over Lynxpaw and as if she was a young apprentice again, she delightfully leaned forward and began to pull out the roots cautiously.

The she-cat sneezed and shook her head as she pulled back, dirt across her muzzle and clinging to her paws. Several strands of the roots hung from her jaws though, Lynxpaw feeling a sensation of pride in herself relishing in her chest. Her eyes lit up and a comfortable warmth entangled her body. Lynxpaw was trapped in a trance of the past and as she turned to eye what she expected to be Nightfrost, she instead was faced with a blank-faced Fernpaw.

"I fot fhe leaves," Fernpaw purred, his voice muffled by the leaves he grasped delicately in between his teeth.

Lynxpaw's ears nearly fell at the sight of him but she kept her formal posture, nodding to the tom. Why do I keep thinking about all these memories, Lynxpaw asked herself, her heart drumming in her chest and blaring through her ears. You have other things to focus on now! Things are changing, and they won't get better if you're trapped in dung-littered memories!

Lynxpaw was nearly startled when Mottledrose stepped over to her, her muzzle awfully close to her own. "Let me take the chervil from you both so we can continue on," Mottledrose purred. Before Lynxpaw could even bother to object, the calico grabbed the roots from her slightly parted jaw.

The medicine cat apprentice swallowed back the urge to huff at the benevolence of Mottledrose. She watched as the molly also snatched Fernpaw's leaves into her own jaws, the two of them sharing a warm, thankful smile as they parted. Lynxpaw felt a small smile also crawl onto her own muzzle, but she quickly buried it away and turned back to stare into the woods.

"Let's continue on. It's best if we return with some cobwebs and comfrey as well," Lynxpaw spoke as she began to pad off, sinking into the undergrowth ahead.

The spotted mollies muzzle twitched as leaves brushed past her fur, flitting slowly down to the forest floor. She kept her eyes wide and her ears pointed forward, desperate to scout out any herbs in sight. Lynxpaw could feel her head lightly buzz and it ached, many thoughts pleading to resurface and questions to be answered. She held in her breath though and instead remained focus on the path ahead, desperate not to get distracted.

She nearly leapt out of her pelt when she felt a tail slightly brushed against her own. Glancing out of the corner of her gaze, she spotted Fernpaw at her side, keeping matched with her pace as they strode forward. Lynxpaw's fur bristled with anxiety as her glanced towards her, his brown eyes bright and wide as they captured Lynxpaw.

"How long have you been a medicine cat apprentice?" Fernpaw suddenly questioned.

Lynxpaw's heart throbbed at the young tom's curious question. Memories threatened to resurface within her head, but she merely kept her focus ahead as her pace hastened. "A few moons," She briskly answered.

She didn't expect the tom to take notice of her quickened pace and spiked fur, but as his ears fell and his gaze dropped, it was clear he did. "I'm sorry," Fernpaw muttered, his softened voice causing Lynxpaw to ache. "We both had to witness our Clanmates turn on us and even murder one another. It's like watching your own kin spill each other's blood. It's so hard, but Robinwing told me how he noticed how much harder it was for you."

Lynxpaw's pace began to slow and her ears dropped to the back of her head. She tilted her head to eye the gray tom, who casted her a faint, comforting smile as she did so. "It's just as hard for me as it is for every other cat. I haven't suffered any more than any other tooth and claw here," Lynxpaw dismissed.

"I think in a way you really have," Fernpaw replied. A chilling silence existed between them before the tom sighed and continued on. "Robinwing informed me about your visions. You knew about your Clanmates demise before any of them did, and you blame yourself for what happened to them." Lynxpaw's heart nearly lurched out of her chest at his words, her teeth grinding against one another. "It must be hard, having to deal with these visions while also treating your Clanmates from wounds they inflicted on each other. Stars, I just met you and knowing that even you can still put a smile on your face gives me hope for us all. Lynxpaw, I know I don't really know you but you've been through a lot, and-"

"What happened within HeathClan that day?" Lynxpaw abruptly asked. The molly knew Mousestar had briefly explained it them before, but she was desperate the escape the conversation Fernpaw was attempted to indulge in. The tom knew nothing but others' input on her, and his empathetic words made a new storm of pain surge in her chest.

As she kept her gaze ahead, she merely shivered at the eerie silence that drifted between them for a few pawsteps. Fernpaw then inhaled a deep breath and answered Lynxpaw's question in a soft, yet serene tone. "I remember I was calmly dozing in the apprentice den, Dappledpaw and Kestrelpaw curled up next to me. It was just a normal night of rest, until a yowl of alarm woke us all. It nearly didn't wake me, for Kestrelpaw had to prod me fully awake and get me to my paws. I remember Dappledpaw crying out that it was Mousestar's yowl, and we had to safe her from whatever danger she was in. I was panicking and unable to think, but I kept with my siblings as we attempted to race out the apprentices den."

Fernpaw shook his head, glancing down at the leaf-covered earth below him as he continued. "That was when Webpaw blocked our way. He told us what was to happen to Mousestar was inevitable, and we had no need to attempt to stop it. It shocked us, for I remember Webpaw being so kind to us when we first moved into the apprentice den. My siblings had no choice but to lunge at their own friend and push him aside, and I scurried after them with Webpaw right on our tail. What was ahead of us was even worse though. Far worse."

Lynxpaw's eyes widened as Fernpaw added on to his story. The similarities of it to the day Cottonstar murdered Heroncall in cold blood rattled her, but she listened on regardless. "Newtclaw had Mousestar pinned down, digging his claws into her with nothing but a blank expression. Warriors were swarming out of their dens, but some only clashed with one another instead of racing forward to assist Mousestar. Cherrytuft was one of the first to reach her side, but then Webpaw lurched forward and blocked her path. She looked terrified to be facing her own friend in battle, and I think the pain in her expression was the only pain that really weakened us on that bloodied battlefield."

"How could we fight our own kin? The cats we pledged to fight beside and protect?" Fernpaw and Lynxpaw's gazes briefly met as he asked the heart-shattering question. "I remember watching some of our strongest Warriors give up before they even dealt a single blow. It was horrifying and agonizing, and I didn't even have to bare a single scar to know so."

A deep frown carved itself into Lynxpaw's visage at Fernpaw's heart-wrenching words. She remembered how quickly Cottonstar had turned on Heroncall and murdered her, and despite being one of the strongest she-cat's in all of RidgeClan, she barely attempted to fight back as she bled to death. Lynxpaw's chest tightened and it felt heavy at the brutal memory, and she merely shook her head as she responded in a quick, low voice to Fernpaw.

"It's as if they don't know who we are anymore. I don't think they even know who they are anymore," Lynxpaw responded, wincing as leaves crunched beneath her paws. "This is some curse the Star Realm knew was coming, yet they are failing to inform us. Stars, I think I'm doing more for us than the Star Realm ever will!"

The frustration in Lynxpaw's voice made Fernpaw's ears drop. "I'm sorry, Lynxpaw. I know all this responsibility must be tiring, but just know I'm here for you, and so is Nightfrost, Robinwing, and even Mousestar! You don't have to do all of this alone."

"But I'm the only one with the burden of these exhausting, dreadful visions that I cannot properly decipher," Lynxpaw retorted, pain flashing through her narrowed gaze. Her chest ached and her memories spiraled through her head. "I'm the only one who can stop of this death and disaster, and I have already failed so many times. Why does the Star Realm trust me with this? Why does any cat trust me to help us all?"

Lynxpaw turned back ahead, her gaze directed forward. Fernpaw was beginning to form a response, but his words faded as if he was disappearing into the abyss further away from her. His words became drowned out and then Lynxpaw suddenly froze, terror overcoming her with her fur bristled and ears perked in alert. Her eyes were latched onto the form of a silhouette leaping down from a tree further ahead, it's tail slithering away into the undergrowth.

Memories of her most recent vision flooded over her. She remembered following a shadowy figure into the depths of the forest and towards the Moon Realm. It had beckoned her forward and she shivered as she recalled it's cold, lingering voice that drifted through her head smoothly like honey.

"Find me, Lynxpaw. I can save you."

"There's someone ahead. We have to follow them," Lynxpaw abruptly stated as Mottledrose and Fernpaw examined her worriedly.

"Are you bee-brained! Who knows who that cat is and what they could have in store for us!" Fernpaw hurriedly responded, the fur along his spine directed to the sky.

Lynxpaw cocked her head to face the tom, a flicker of determination and ambition wavering through her gaze. The molly was desperate to finally reach a proper conclusion to one of her visions, and she was not going to let precautions stop her. "Trust me! My last vision never meant for me to journey to the Moon Realm. Whoever this cat is, the Star Realm wanted me to find them," Lynxpaw snapped back. She instantly regretted her hostile tone and sighed, dropping her shoulders and staring back ahead. "I can't fail again."

Lynxpaw blinked as Mottledrose stepped over to Fernpaw, exchanging the herbs she carried to the apprentice. "Go back to camp with these herbs and inform the others that we're investigating something we discovered," Mottledrose commanded. "I'm going with Lynxpaw. If we're not back by sunfall, insist that Leafdance sends out a patrol in an instant."

Fernpaw remained silent and nodded in compliance. Mottledrose touched her muzzle to his ear before she pulled away back to Lynxpaw's side. As the tom began to turn away to head back towards camp though, Lynxpaw failed to keep silent and parted her jaws in an instant.

"Fernpaw!" At the sound of his voice, the tom turned to eye her in a heartbeat. A viviacious, comforting smile curled onto Lynxpaw's face as she nodded to the medicine cat apprentice. "Thank you, and make sure you stay safe."

The tom flashed her a grin before her swirled around and bolted into the depths of the forest towards camp. Lynxpaw inhaled and turned back ahead, the smile upon her face fading into a serious, intent expression. Mottledrose amusingly scoffed at the molly, bumping her shoulder with her own. "Made a new friend?"

Lynxpaw rolled her eyes at Mottledrose's teasing words. "How about we just get on this cat's trail before we lose them for good?" Lynxpaw suggested with a snort.

Mottledrose grinned before she nodded and took the lead. Her muzzle twitched as she sniffed the air, the two of them approaching the tree the cat had departed from. Lynxpaw glanced up the tree to spot feathers caught in one of the branches, claw marks also carved into its surface. Whoever this cat is, they are experienced. They must have lived on their own for moons, Lynxpaw noted to herself.

Lynxpaw glanced back towards Mottledrose, who beckoned her forward. The two of them slithered through the undergrowth together, their pelts brushing and the chilling breeze nipping at their fur. Lynxpaw could faintly pick up the scent of the strange cat, which was mixed with a hint of pine and sap. This cat had obviously lived within the woods for moons, and by the looks of it they were surviving well on their own. Lynxpaw shivered at the thought. Would they be hostile? She didn't want to risk a fight but she had to try and figure out what the Star Realm believed was so important about this roaming feline.

They emerged from the undergrowth into a clearing, sunlight igniting their pelts. Lynxpaw blinked the stinging rays away and and squinted, observing the tree in the distance that casted its shadow briefly across the clearing. It's roots tangled together and it tilted slightly to form an open, dark hallow at its base. The cat's aroma grew stronger as they stepped forward, and the two of them shared a knowing glance before they continued forward.

Lynxpaw kept at Mottledrose's side as they approached the cat's den. She noticed how her calico friend's head lowered and her muscles rippled beneath her bristled fur. After all that had occurred within the last few moons, Lynxpaw had no urge to blame the new Warrior for remaining so on edge and being severely cautious. Neither of them knew anything about the cat they were about to meet, and as they neared the den a wave of anxiety crashed over the both of them.

Lynxpaw held her breath and glanced sideways at Mottledrose, who nodded to her in approval. As she parted her jaws to call out to the cat though, a low voice echoed to them from the depths of the den.

"Who goes there? I can smell you, you know."

The spotted molly froze at his voice, her fear-scent most likely striking the mysterious tom. She hurried to straighten her composure and gather her thoughts as she replied to the tom. "My name is Lynxpaw, and with me is my friend Mottledrose," Lynxpaw informed calmly. "We don't come seeking a fight or any form of hostility. We both come from RidgeClan, a group of cats about a quarter moons worth of traveling from here. We were chased from our homes. A horrible curse has infected our own Clanmates." The molly paused, wondering if she was giving away too much information. Breathing in though, she decided to continue on. "Our ancestors granted me a vision. They insisted that I find you. They told me you could save us, and I trust in their word."

Silence hung over them like the chilling snow of Leafbare after Lynxpaw spoke. Anxiety kept Lynxpaw's chest tight but a flicker of hope within her kept her eyes locked into the darkness of the burrow ahead. Her ears twitched and her eyes widened as movement stirred within the stranger's den, Mottledrose pressing closer to her as the cat emerged from the darkness.

The tom's fur was sleek yet burdened with specks of dirt along its black and white appeal. He was taller and broader than the both of them, but his muzzle and neck fur was streaked with gray furs to hint at his older age. His muscles rippled beneath his pelt as he was showcased by the sunlight shining down from above, but his claws remained sheathed and his posture composed. His foggy, chocolate gaze examined the both of them for a moment, before his words of greeting utterly shocked them.

"My name is Elkcall, it's a pleasure to meet you both."

CREDITS

CHAPTER BANNER DONE BY
Kivalori