Foxtuft's POV

As Blossomfrost paced anxiously around the new campground, I watched intensely. Tigerstripe lay in front of Shadowflower and Zinnia. His leg was badly bleeding from the infected dog that had attacked our patrol. It had bitten straight to the bone, staining the new layer of snow on the rocks we stood on with crimson drops around his paw prints. Tigerstripe clenched his jaw to keep the pain to a minimum while his tail lashed back and forth.

"He will be alright. He just needs to rest lots after we wrap him up," Zinnia reassured Blossomfrost cheerily, though I wasn't sure that she was paying much attention to the small cat. Lark lashed his tail from side to side, his skull-protector covering his face. He didn't seem too happy to be around the tense situation.

Marshstar stood at the edge of the camp and called his Clan forward for a small gathering. I hurried over to Blossomfrost when she didn't leave her little trail of paw-steps. But when I tried to get her to go to the gathering, she shrugged me away and continued to pace. "Don't bother, Foxtuft," Ripplecurrent scoffed, rolling her eyes as her kits bounced around her paws, not realizing what was going on.

I bowed my head and trotted over to the gathering. "Blossomfrost is moving into the nursery so Dreampaw will be mentored by Crowflight from now on," Our leader rasped, glancing at the elderly black tom. "It will give you something to focus on other than your own guilt and sorrow."

Blossomfrost didn't look impressed but she tried not to show it. Her ear twitched, pacing through her trail of jumbled up paw prints as the sun slid down the sky. The snow continued to fall peacefully as the gathering ended. "Silverfeather, Shadowflower, we need to speak," Marshstar gestured with his tail for the two she-cats to go to his den. They hurried forward, leaving Tigerstripe to be dealt with by Zinnia.

Zinnia began to finish covering the wound cheerfully. Nothing fazed the young she-cat. It was as if she were in a world full of rainbows, sunshine, and butterflies. With every tap she made, she hummed a little tune, bobbing her head along. Tigerstripe's lip curled in annoyance, anger flooding his gaze as the she-cat continued.

I watched Fireflywing and Mistnose whisper to each other from in behind the departing crowd of cats, their eyes rolling and shoulders hunched. Flicking my ear, I glared over at them. "Why don't you rest instead of pace?" Stormcloud suggested, gesturing with his tail to the newly made nursery that was beside the medicine den. She let out a small sigh of defeat, padding away. Stormcloud nodded once, then padded back to his stressed mate.

Sitting back and watching was all I decided to do. Marshstar, Silverfeather, and Shadowflower were occupied with a meeting so there wouldn't be any patrols going out. I padded over to the newly made dens, making small paw prints as I headed off. Laying down, I rested my chin on my paws and took a quiet nap under the tree.
***
"Foxtuft, we have to go make traps," a small meow ended my dreams of playing with my Twolegs, jolting me awake.

I blinked open my eyes to the sight of Dreampaw and Crowflight. Crowflight looked a bit more lively with a bouncing apprentice around him. Dreampaw gazed down at me with excitement. The sun was drifting back up the sky, a swarm of dark, bulgy clouds filling the entire atmosphere.

Groaning, I sat up and nodded to the young, silver she-cat. "Hurry, let's go!" She purred. I arched my back in a long, refreshing stretch, a few loud snaps popping in the crisp air. Ever since the fence had fallen on my lower back, I found it hard to run, kick, and use my tail. Every paw-step I took was a bit sore. I hopped off of the rocky campground, cringing from the high jump. I could feel Snowfern's eyes watching us leave. She was incredibly overprotective over her daughter.

I followed in behind Crowflight, Dreampaw, Mistnose, and Silverfeather, trotting through the thick and wet snow. "They said we have to create barriers around our entire territory and then kill anything in it! Or was it the other way around?" Dreampaw narrowed her eyes at the ground in thought. I let out a mrrow of amusement.

Crowflight shook his head, his eyes filled with humor. Mistnose looked annoyed and cold already while Silverfeather was just serious and quiet. We continued on silently, heading the opposite way of StreamClan's territory. My stomach twisted around as my empty belly began to realize how much I hadn't eaten in the past few days. Shaking my head, I ignored the feeling and kept on going. The wet, sparkling snow was up to mid-leg, making it hard for Dreampaw to keep up. Despite the amount of snow, she seemed to like the challenge.

My paws were practically frozen and raw when we came to the border. It's going to be a long day. I thought, sighing as the five of us departed. "Find any logs, sticks, or branches and begin to pile them here," Silverfeather demanded, drawing a small line in the snow to mark where she meant.

Mistnose and I departed from the group, heading to the left to search for any logs or big branches. Anything that would make noises or stop the infected for even a heartbeat from coming in was what I was looking for, really. Flicking my ear, I made sure I had space from Mistnose as I hurried along. The air was chilly and my paws were almost numb as I hurried over to a large log.

"I found a log, Silverfeather!" I called over to the others. Crowflight and Dreampaw were dragging a big branch toward the line our deputy had made as Silverfeather came to help us.

There wasn't that much snow so I was sure it wouldn't be that hard with three strong cats to push the log to the line. It isn't that far, we're good. I reassured myself as I put my paws on the back of the wet log. Mistnose threw her pride and selfishness away to help me push it, which actually surprised me. Silverfeather put her paws up on the opposite side that Mistnose was on, and began to push with all her might. Mistnose and I followed her moves with a groan.

Clenching my teeth and squeezing my eyes shut, we dug our claws into the mucky ground until we made progress. I then shoved it with all my might. To my relief the log did a full turn, but sadly all three of us fell flat onto our faces into the dip of cold undergrowth that the log had sat in for moons upon moons. I lifted my head right away and brushed the dirt out of my face. Mistnose groaned from the dirt in her pelt but after we glanced around at the three of us, we all began to purr. Even Crowflight was into it.

"Do you need any help?" He purred with Dreampaw at his side.

The three of us nodded. "That would be lovely," Silverfeather shook out her pelt as she replied to the elderly warrior.
***
We entered the camp in a good mood, purring about the log situation. It had taken a while for us to get it to the line and to find other branches and logs to put up a border, but we did it just fine. The sky was still dark, threatening to spill it's snow, but it didn't faze us. Not even the crisp and dry air made the five of us angry. Crowflight was carrying a squirrel that he had caught while Mistnose carried a starling. She held her muzzle high with pride as she hopped up onto he rock. Fireflywing was coughing up a storm in the corner, little blood splatters around her, and Stormcloud was coughing up blood with Ripplecurrent at his side. For once Ripplecurrent was trying to sympathize her mate instead of sit there with a sour face.

"I'm going to go discuss the new guards with Marshstar. We will need four; two for the border we worked on and two for the field. They will work all night and sleep most of the day. That's all they will be asked of," Silverfeather bowed her head to us with joy and humor in her bright gaze before she padded off to Marshstar's den. Crowflight and Mistnose put their prey away. After she had out the prey in the pile, Mistnose hurried over to her sisters' side to comfort her.

Dreampaw hopped over to her stressed mother, Snowfern. "Snowfern, I had a great time!" Dreampaw gasped, pouncing around. Though Snowfern didn't look too impressed by her kits' filthy pelt, she looked relieved that her kit was okay and happy.

Silverfeather suddenly burst out of the leaders' den, her fur on end and her once brilliant eyes gone to terror. Everyone froze and stared at her. Shadowflower popped her head up from the medicine den with confusion in her eyes. "What's wrong?" She meowed, her voice echoing awkwardly throughout the camp. "Marshstar... i-is dead," Our deputy whispered.

All the joy in RockClan instantly switched to panic, shock, and distress. "Marshstar was getting ill, I noticed. He was coughing up blood like a few of the others, too... I sent him to sleep because he was complaining of stomach pains and being tired when the patrols went out," Shadowflower murmured with Zinnia nodding beside her to confirm her answer. Shadowflower was horrified as she trotted into the den our leader lay in. Zinnia wasn't any longer happy, either.

Silverfeather stood there in disbelief, unable to wrap her thoughts around the fact she was now leader of RockClan. "Where do we go to speak to SoulClan? How will you get your nine lives, Silverfeather?" Dreampaw murmured, gazing up at the stressed out deputy. "I guess I will have to see Wildstar for her opinion," She replied without looking the apprentice in the eye.

"RockClan, tonight I will see Wildstar to discuss a new Gathering Place and how I will get my nine lives," Silverfeather announced, swallowing her anxiety down to be a good role model. Stormcloud and Fireflywing coughed up a storm of blood while Silverfeather spoke, but everyone understood it wasn't their fault. It was a terrible cough that took their breath away to get rid of the phlegm. "I will be back by sunset at the latest. For now, Foxtuft and Sparkdust will guard the borders. Tigerstripe will be a night guard once he heals and Sparkdust will be a day guard after tonight." She finished, bowing her head as she padded away.

Sighing, I pushed my hunger to the back of my mind and followed my direction. I headed out to the border to guard the night bravely. I knew it wouldn't be long before Fireflywing and Stormcloud would pass away, so I kind of liked the idea that I was a guard.
***
Again, I apologize for the slow updates. When Shit Went Down's next chapter is coming out soon, too!
P_A83 out!