"He's a kittypet now," Darkflower growled defensively. "You have no idea what we've been through." Her sharp green eyes were almost stinging Crescentpaw's like nettles; even though she was still at quite a distance.

"No, but I have some idea. It isn't much better off in Riverclan," the apprentice mewed mildly. "Eveningstar lost her ninth life and went to Starclan." Would it be considered oversharing if I told more than that?

Plumetail murmured behind them. The two she-cats turned and pricked their ears.

"Please find me something fresh... for my throat. Some cobwebs to pack it with. It's bleeding through again," the elder rasped. Mid-day sun washed her pelt with a golden sheen. The she-cat lay in the driest part of the clearing, where the trees made way for light to shine down upon a wide stretch of camp earth. Crescentpaw looked around for a clear pool of water and found one in the crook of a tree root beside a bramble den.

She approached it with stiff shoulders. I have a feeling I'm going to be very worn out by the end of today. Working as a Riverclan apprentice since her return and now traveling across the Clan territories as fast as possible would soon catch up with her. I've got to get this done in under two sunsets, though. Having tired paws doesn't matter.

"How did she die?" Darkflower asked as Crescentpaw pawed away a thicket of moss from above the pool. A fluffy layer of it was stuck to the rock's southwest facing side. It was partly full of bark and dirt as she peeled it daintily away, trying to shield the embarrassing act with her body.

"How do you think? The wolves," the apprentice said simply.

"Great Starclan, has no cat ever taught you to rip off a proper chunk of moss? Well, I'm not going to teach you." Darkflower sounded repulsed as she stalked around the apprentice and leaned into her space. The she-cat expertly sliced off the topmost layer with a claw, leaving the back-side of the moss stuck against the dirty flaking bark.

Tabby-and-white Crescentpaw seethed. With gritted teeth and flattened ears, she stepped back. I only need answers. I must get them and ask her if she's coming to the other clans with me- then leave.

She couldn't help but try to aid Plumetail's wound while she did so, though. She took her own clump of moss and began picking the pieces of dirt and gritty bark-chunks out, grasping them or swiping them off with the tips of her toes. Luckily Darkflower was no longer looking. The deputy dunked her own wad into a small dip in the earth that was cratering a pool.

"So... if Gravelstar lost his last life then why haven't you become leader yet?" The apprentice commented after a long moment.

"Oh great Starclan... Apprentices are just like frogs, jumping to the first lilypad they see." She cut herself off as she leaned up with a mouthful of dripping moss. Casually, Crescentpaw stopped picking her bundle clean and lifted it as well.

"Look, kit. All you gotta do to figure out the answer to that is look around. There's no Clan left to lead. All of my Clanmates either ran off or they're dead." She murmured through the moss, then fell silent. Crescentpaw felt the layers of pine needle thin out as she padded back into the center of their camp.

She nodded, trying to sound concerned while also mentioning the state of her own clan. "Well I can't say that isn't relatable. It was hard for Plumetail to tell me much about Shadowclan because her throat hurt." Darkflower sighed agreement. She leaned forward to offer Plumetail the moss soaked in water, and Crescentpaw waited while the she-cat took a drink.

"Go get cobwebs from the medicine cat's den. It's in that cave beneath the Leader's rock."

The leaders rock was seemingly part of that boulder-pile that Crescentpaw had seen while entering the camp. She padded over to them as Darkflower pointed her tail.

Around the rock pile was a tall ring of overgrown ferns. Crescentpaw found the entrance by a scent of stale herbs flowing through the opening. Then she slipped through and searched for cobweb. It wasn't hard to find some because it was packed full of the spindly sticky webs. Reaching high in the corners and edges of the rock ceiling, she swathed a paw in the spider netting.

Crescentpaw then exited the stuffy den. Her whiskers had teeny bits of cobweb stuck in them, but she didn't mind. The deep green pine-forest camp unfurled in front of her. It was quite a calm feeling actually, being in a camp this well concealed.

But that wasn't to say it was perfect. Some areas of tree bark were scratched and peeled away, where cats had frantically climbed the trees to escape. One of the dens that wasn't bramble appeared to be trampled and ripped apart. It was between two logs that had clearly been positioned in such a way to create a long, thin den-space with warrior-enforced roofing structure above. The collapsed ceiling had holes and gaps, while one side of a log was completely crumpled into splinters. Crescentpaw slowed as she examined the Shadowclan camp's damage.

"Hurry up, apprentice." The dark she-cat scolded impatiently. Crescentpaw almost opened her mouth to spit a retort. Darkflower's bossiness is getting old quickly.

"A lot of our warriors left to be rogues or loners," The deputy surprised her by continuing.

"Shadowclan is too proud to become kittypets, you see." She meowed. "At least most of us were."

As they talked, they patiently waited for Plumetail to slowly stretch her neck up. The two she-cats sat close together as they packed the wound with fresh cobweb. The previous blood-soaked clot was gently pawed out and fell onto the ground. It smelled strongly of infection.

Crescentpaw sat on her haunches and leaned back to examine the work. When she was satisfied that the cobweb was securely plastered over the edge of the wound, she nodded.

"It's sealed over the edge, Darkflower. But isn't there any herbs you know of to stop her infection?" Crescentpaw cleaned her paws as she glanced over at the Shadowclan deputy. Her two-toned gaze was shrewd.

"Maybe tansy or goldenrod? I've heard Goldenheart mention it but I'm not certain if it's for infection or something else." Her tone was suggestive.

Darkflower leaned back, the sun glinting off her whiskers as she shook her head no.

"And just what might happen if I gave her the wrong herb, something that makes her throw up or go to sleep? That could make her even weaker!" The dark grey Shadowclan cat snarled. Her yellow fangs glinted as she snapped and swiveled her head to stare at Crescentpaw.

The Riverclan apprentice only sighed, glancing at her paws and back up at the Shadowclan deputy again. Oops... I keep forgetting not to look at my paws in front of other cats. Did it even matter, though? This was a cat from another clan. And the chances of anyone noticing her missing claws while sheathed were slim to none, as far as she could tell.

"Yeah good point." The apprentice eventually responded flatly.

She meant it, though. Darkflower was being cautious against accidentally hurting the elder.

"I'm not sure if she's well enough to fight off the infection on her own," the she-cat dropped her voice to a low murmur. Her tone had turned serious. A cloud passed over the sun, giving them some temporary relief from the swelling heat.

"Well...-" Crescentpaw sighed. Her paws were already itching to go. She had done so much talking over the past two days. She wanted to act, not sit around and chat and worry. I need to change things!

"Okay, look." The tabby she-cat dropped her meowing into a whisper. "If Plumetail's infection improves and she regains her strength, cross the border to Riverclan. Meet me back at my camp. We've got to figure out what to do to reach Starclan. They'll know what to do," she pressed. Crescentpaw rushed on, eager to leave and make her way to Skyclan land.

"They may tell us to move all the clan territories, but we must keep what remains of the Clans alive until then. We-"

Darkflower didn't have the decency to let her finish. Her sun-warmed shoulders lifted abrasively. "Why?" She spat out the question, but Crescentpaw had a feeling the deputy didn't want an answer. She flattened her ears with exasperation when she was proved to be right.

"There's no hope left for Shadowclan anyways!" Darkflower meowed loudly.

Overwhelmed with perplexity, young Crescentpaw lifted a paw. When she finally responded she met the dark she-cat's glinting gaze meticulously.

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Crescentpaw