.ೃ࿐ 𝐀nd she was with Cinderflare again.

"You should be in the medicine cat's den. You're so hurt," Flurrygrace meowed groggily into the other feline's dark fur, both curled in the shadowy warrior's den after she'd finally returned from her post.

Cinderflare smelled more like herbs and blood than herself, and it was not comforting in the least, but Flurrygrace was too worn out to care.

"I'm fine. Snowchime already treated me," The black warrior replied, her voice low and lacking the usual energy and sarcasm it carried during the day. "Are you?"

Flurrygrace frowned, squeezing her eyes shut. She was fine physically, but her mind felt all over the place. "I did something stupid," She mumbled.

Cinderflare exhaled a soft, breathy laugh. "Well, that's nothing new. For you and me both," She replied, tinged with gentle humor.

It was true that Flurrygrace often gave her choices second-thoughts, and Cinderflare was one of the only cats Flurrygrace would let know, the only other being her sister, Frostberry. To the rest of the Clan, she was meant to be steadfast and responsible. No room for mistakes, as Graycedar would say.

The white she-cat didn't respond, merely drifting off to sleep against the other warrior's side.

•••

.ೃ࿐ 𝐌orning came, and Flurrygrace didn't want to face it.

She woke up to soft golden light filtering into the den, and she yawned, rolling onto her side. Doing so made her realize how spacious the nest had become — Cinderflare must have left earlier.

Flurrygrace knew as soon as she got up from her warmed spot in the warrior's den, she would have to deal with the cold. She also knew it would be totally unacceptable for her to lounge around for the rest of the morning. Many cats were still too injured to do their daily duties, and her help would be needed now more than ever.

Padding into the camp clearing, Flurrygrace first looked for Cinderflare, wondering if the dark she-cat was around or had already left on some task or patrol. She seemed to be absent.

It was about to be VerdantClan's first full day with Moonwater's Garden. As Flurrygrace's eyes roamed camp, she could see a small patrol gathering by the camp entrance, likely about to swap out the guard cats. Juniperstar had still not relented on the constant watch over the garden, still distrusting of the defeated UmbraClan cats. Flurrygrace's pelt prickled with the thought of what might happen if the opposing Clan healed and came for vengeance later.

A thought intruded her mind. Perhaps... Sunglisten's herbs were still left in the garden. Surely she could find them. She had seen how the VerdantClan medicine cats picked and packaged herbs, often in neat piles or wrapped in leaves, and she assumed it couldn't be too difficult to spot. Maybe, if she found it, she could leave it somewhere close to the border in case any UmbraClan cats came by. She felt awful about leaving the medicine cat with none.

The she-cat bounded towards the gathering cats, catching them as they were exiting camp. "You're going to the garden?" She meowed inquisitively, falling into step alongside one of the members.

"Yeah," The other warrior, Specklepine, replied. "You don't have to come with. Graycedar's just been organizing groups of four." 

"Oh, yeah, I won't stick around. I just... want to make sure everyone reconvenes okay," Flurrygrace offered. "And maybe I can bring a good word back to Juniperstar about the patrols."

That seemed to pique Specklepine's interest, and he tilted his head, considering. "Well, who am I to deny Flurrygrace," He meowed finally, whiskers twitching with amusement. "Come along. You know we'd love to have you."

•••

After some repositioning, Moonwater's Garden was devoid of cats aside from the four new guards and Flurrygrace. It was then that she began looking for the leftover herbs, disguising her actions as merely perusing their new territory.

The warrior's gaze rapidly scanned the clusters of herbs, padding along the churned soil, peering underneath emerald leaves. Nothing was showing up. She began to feel a prickle of anxiety, hot beneath her pelt despite the cold. Where could they be? Had they already been taken? Did she look suspicious? She glanced upwards, flashing one of the warriors who caught her eye a meager smile. She was fine. Not weird at all, not fretting at all.

She set her sights back to investigating the garden, sending a silent prayer to StarClan that she'd find them, if only to assuage her guilt. Finally, after a couple of minutes that felt like hours, Flurrygrace scored.

A bundle of plucked herbs, wrapped together with a thin strip of grass, laid plainly in the dirt. The warrior lifted her head and exhaled shakily.

"Good work, all of you," She called good-naturedly to the four. "I'll be heading back now. Thanks for letting me join you, if only for a moment. I'm sure Juniperstar will be happy to know of your dedication."

"See ya', Flurrygrace!" Specklepine called.

Flurrygrace dipped her head and snatched up the bundle, keeping her face turned away from the others. With a wave of her tail, she hurried as casually brisk as she could into the forest.

UmbraClan's border wasn't far at all, considering Moonwater's Garden used to be a part of it. Hoping to keep skepticism away, she had headed back into VerdantClan's territory, deciding to swerve back towards the border once she was out of sight.

Specklepine's earlier 'we would love to have you' replayed in her head. She knew he was probably just being cordial, and would have said that to any other warrior, but it still made her sick to think about. The Clan respected her due to her relations and status. If she was really known, she doubted they would feel the same, and it made her hurt. Surely some cats must talk about her behind her back. She felt like such a fraud.

When her mother died, she'd been utterly useless for about a moon. She had followed orders and tried to cooperate, but every action felt empty. Ever since she joined StarClan, Flurrygrace felt that apathy prevailed. Maybe she wasn't so impressive after all.

Flurrygrace came to a stop along the border, the scents of UmbraClan mixing with the herbs wafting below her nose. Spotting a visible clearing in the brush, she stopped to quickly set the plants down. Hopefully the next patrol would spot them. The area where she stood scented strong with markings, and she assumed it must be somewhere revisited often enough.

Shame broiled beneath her pelt. Did doing this make her a traitor to her Clan? Did not doing this make her a bad cat?

She turned away from the deposited herbs and padded back through VerdantClan's land, quickening her pace until she was running. A gasp caught in her throat and she clenched her teeth, unable to prevent several tears from slipping down her cheeks. Her sadness was a culmination of everything from the past year, and quite honestly, she couldn't pinpoint exactly why she was crying. She just felt like she was going to crack.