.ೃ࿐ 𝐈t had been almost a year since the Clans were ripped apart by the Sickness. Once again, frost formed in the mornings, crystallizing the evergreen branches of the territory's conifers, and dry leaf litter dappled the forest floor. Every cat had their fur fluffed up against the chill, praying that the camp would not relive the sounds of raucous coughs, gasps, and unordinary silences.

•••

.ೃ࿐ 𝐅lurrygrace was staked out at Moonwater's Garden, sitting like a watchdog at one corner. The only sound was the occasional cold wind clattering the trees' needled branches. Dusk was beginning to fall, and she knew the air would only grow chillier.

She was joined by Mallowbear, Ospreyperch, and Honeypaw, each sitting tall on different sides of the garden. They all had fur still stained red with blood, forced into their duties too quickly to get a chance to fully clean up.

Another breeze rippled over the group, and Flurrygrace shivered despite her long fur. At least VerdantClan had Moonwater's Garden this leaf-bare. And StarClan, did they deserve it. They had fought brutally, powered on by the memory of those they lost the previous year and desperation to not repeat the past. Who knew if the Sickness would return.

It seemed like Juniperstar's plan had brewed long enough to come to fruition. Seize the garden. Don't go another leaf-bare without it.

She thought it was completely unfair for Juniperstar to make her protect the grounds in a season like this, but she supposed it was rational. They had to prove their new claim to the area, and couldn't risk any UmbraClan cats attempting to sneak onto the freshly fought-for territory. Surely the presence of VerdantClan's top warriors would deter any approaches.

Her Clan had just earned the garden earlier that day, so its ownership status was not solidified enough to feel final. Guarding it was a critical job.

Flurrygrace's lids felt heavy, exhausted from the earlier battle, and it was steadily growing colder and darker. She just had to make it until moon-high, when the next shift of VerdantClan cats would arrive to take their places. Whether she would even be able to make the walk back to camp after that, she didn't know.

A light snore caught Flurrygrace's attention. Poor Honeypaw. She wasn't surprised that the young apprentice would have already fallen asleep. Too bad they wouldn't get the experience Juniperstar and their mentor wanted so badly out of this.

"Is that Honeypaw?" came Mallowbear's voice from behind her.

Flurrygrace parted her jaws to reply, but was startled by a rustle in the brush a ways to her left. She took a breath, attempting to discern the source by scent, but its position compared to the wind left her with nothing. She stood slowly, hackles raised.

"Is someone there?" Flurrygrace called out. Startled by her voice, Mallowbear shot back, "What? Someone's there?"

The white warrior didn't reply. She eyed the patch of brush with a narrow blue gaze. Her teeth baring in an instinctive snarl, she repeated, "Hello? Is someone there?"

With still no reply, the she-cat began to feel stupid. It could very easily be an animal, especially as it was beginning to get dark. She was just extremely on edge since the battle, and her job at the moment demanded the utmost vigilance.

Feeling herself relax as the silence pervaded, Flurrygrace's fur lied flat, and she exhaled softly. It must just be a woodland creature.

Until. "Hello?"

The tentative, unfamiliar voice immediately shot adrenaline through Flurrygrace's body, and she whirled around, her claws unsheathed. She was quickly joined by Mallowbear, with Ospreyperch at her heels.

"UmbraClan!" came Ospreyperch's roar, and he launched himself in the direction of the voice. Upon further inspection, Flurrygrace realized there was a golden tom emerging from the brush, his thick fur scattered with bits of leaf-mulch. Ospreyperch knocked him off his feet and they tumbled into the garden, the two she-cats scampering after them.

"Please!" The golden tom pleaded, shielding his face with his paws beneath Ospreyperch's grasp. "Stop! I'm a medicine cat — I — I don't want to hurt you!"

Ospreyperch's lip was curled in a gruesome growl, his claws tangled in the stranger's long fur. "Even worse. I bet you're here to steal herbs."

Flurrygrace's heart hammered in her chest. Graycedar and Juniperstar's words echoed in her head — she was meant to establish diplomacy. Since the battle, that ideal felt extremely out the window, but it was her inherent response.

Plus, she knew the medicine cat of UmbraClan, having met him a few times before at Gatherings. Sunglisten. Not only did she know him, but she quite liked him. Every time they had spoken, although few, was pleasant, and she would always feel a slight sense of disappointment when he would retreat back to sit with the medicine cats when announcements started.

But now he was the enemy. She had to remind herself of that.

But... she couldn't let things get out of hand, either.

"Ospreyperch," Flurrygrace called, her voice surprisingly commanding for her own uncertainty. The mottled warrior didn't even lift his head to glance at her, his glower fixated on Sunglisten, but he did flick an ear. She huffed. "Let's not make assumptions. Tell us, Sunglisten, why are you here?"

The tom seemed surprised that she knew him, and he tilted his head, a sense of recognition flashing in his face as he looked towards her. "I gathered herbs earlier today, before the battle, and there were a few I forgot to bring back to camp," he explained weakly.

Ospreyperch's scowl intensified and Sunglisten visibly cringed. "I was just... I thought it would only be fair for me to bring them back. They're already picked, anyway, i-if they stay here they'll just dry up. I gathered them before VerdantClan laid claim to them."

"See? Thief," Ospreyperch retorted.

"N-no, I thought it's only fair!" the medicine cat protested. "Please. The garden is UmbraClan's main herb source — those were probably the last few I'd be able to gather before leaf-bare set in for good. I need them."

As a tense silence fell over the two opponents, Flurrygrace assumed it was her time to step in. Her eyes wandered thoughtfully and she shifted on her paws, wincing as it aggravated a sore spot.

In her heart, she felt bad for him. Although Sunglisten was the enemy, he intended no harm, merely a medicine cat wanting to do whatever he could to take care of his Clan. That was what they all wanted to do. It was a shame he had made such a simple mistake.

With Ospreyperch and Mallowbear as witnesses, however, she knew she could not be so lenient. She was reminded of her lessons from Graycedar. Showing sympathy was vulnerable; it would reveal that one could be manipulated. Flurrygrace frowned and reluctantly shook her head.

"I'm sorry that you forgot them this morning," She told the tom. "But I can't let you take them. Everything here is VerdantClan's now, including any herbs left behind." Although the words flowed smoothly and seriously, she felt like she had to choke them out. She wished she didn't have to tell him that. Flurrygrace stared down at her paws to avoid seeing his expression.

"Let him go, Ospreyperch," She added.

The muscular warrior released the medicine cat, stepping back to fall into place beside Mallowbear. He seemed irritated, but did not argue.

She watched as Sunglisten got to his feet shakily, appearing tattered and crumpled. The look he cast Flurrygrace was so broken and disappointed that she wished she hadn't seen it. Once again, she averted her eyes. "Go on your way," She meowed dismissively.

"You're lucky I didn't rip you apart," Ospreyperch sneered.

Without a word, the rival medicine cat slunk away into UmbraClan's forest. The sound of him heading back through the brush was heard for a few moments before it was gone, and the quiet of darkness surrounded them.

Oh StarClan, Flurrygrace couldn't believe she did that. As soon as he was gone, her chest bubbled with regret. She thought of her mother— how many others would lose their parents if illness attacked UmbraClan, and they had no defenses because of VerdantClan? Because of her? Sure, it was only one bundle of herbs, but to dare sneak back to the garden after the battle... he must have felt they were important.

Digging her claws into the dirt, Flurrygrace gritted her teeth and retreated back to her post. "Someone wake up Honeypaw," She demanded, her voice seeping with the frustration she felt towards herself.

She couldn't be the mediator, she couldn't fight with her emotions, she couldn't make hard decisions, please, she wanted to do away with all of it. It was exhausting. It felt like it took heaps of effort to even sit back in her corner of the garden.

She took a deep breath of the crisp, leaf-fall air and attempted to not think at all. With how things were looking, she likely wouldn't have to see Sunglisten again anyway.