As the ground rose and then dipped, Crescentpaw padded down the steep side of a brambled slope. Her white paws got muddy again, and she began slipping as she nearly fell into a grass hillock. The apprentice wasn't used to Shadowclan territory and was forced to slow down after that.

It was nearly an hour later when the tabby-and-white she-cat finally stalked across the Shadowclan-Skyclan border. Both sides had weakened scent-markings; but Shadowclan's much more predominantly so. Crescentpaw nearly stepped on two frogs. Despite her hunger, the animals smelled so peaty and fetid that she didn't try to catch one.

She had forgotten that at the utmost top of the lake, Thunderclan Shadowclan and Skyclan's camps were all much closer together. Although their territories were long and vast, they were more vertically stretched than Riverclan's seemed to be.

I love our clan so much. It's got the Horseplace separating us from Windclan, and the Small Thunderpath separating us from Shadowclan. The borders were also much more recognizable.

The apprentice caught wind of overlapping scent trails leading towards the Skyclan camp.
She paid attention to the twittering birdsong up in the trees, pricking her ears.

Birds were not Riverclan's specialty, but Crescentpaw was beginning to grow desperately hungry. Traveling so far without any traveling herbs was taking its toll.

But I can't hunt in another Clan's land, even if I had the claws to try. Especially when Skyclan's border markers were fresh. She sighed aloud. It was such a beautiful day for hunting.

Despite her rumbling belly she felt proud of herself for already reaching the second clan's territory. I should stumble upon their camp soon. Crescentpaw had been padding on Skyclan's land for quite some time now. Massive oak trees with gnarled roots had replaced most of the pines. Their bark was much lighter and drier, smooth and thick with less crevices.

Barely any sunlight reached through the thick tree canopy above. Crescentpaw found it reassuring, though. Until she remembered that she wouldn't be able to climb any of these trees if she needed to.

I hope Tinypaw and Cheetah are doing alright. If Tinypaw is found out while I'm gone she might be thrown out before I return. And Cheetah could end up annoying the wrong cat...

Not to mention the more-likely-than-not chances of a wolf visiting the camp tonight.

"Hey, you!" The overpowering leafy scent of Skyclan bathed Crescentpaw's nostrils as she panicked and looked around. Instinctively the apprentice tried to unsheathe her claws. Nothing slid out of the sheathe sockets and she was forced to stand there with her hackles lifted and eyes wide, neck twisting around like a frantic pigeon.

A group of cats appeared over the swell of earth behind her. They climbed over it with confident pawsteps, padding closer and closer as they glided beneath the trees.

The patrol consisted of two she-cats and a hulking thick-furred tom.

"You're Riverclan aren't you? What are you doing here?" The long-haired cat sounded hostile. Giant scars crisscrossed his jaw and muzzle. Both of his ears had rips. One foreleg still had a long, bloodied tooth gash. Most of the leg was covered with a plaster of goldenrod. The rest had fallen off, revealing a snaking wound underneath.

"I'm, uh." Crescentpaw's eyes were widening even farther as she recognized Jadestar. The Skyclan leader had distinguishable pale-grey fur with interloping patches of tan-yellow. Each splash of tan was scored with darker tabby lines, as per usual of a calico-type cat.

Part of the leader's tail was ripped off and bald; showing an ugly bruise and lesions beneath. Her left eyebrow was striated with deep-etched teeth marks. Dried blood still stained the soot-colored fur.

"Jadestar!" She gasped and nearly fell to the forest floor with relief. Thank Starclan there's still a Clan leader left.

"State your business," the tomcat in their group growled.

"I'm Crescentpaw, so yes I'm Riverclan." she quickly explained as the dark warrior beside Jadestar lifted a brow. His haunches were so big that they were practically larger than Crescentpaw's head.

"I've come to discuss the predator problem with the other Clans. Since gatherings are closed, traversing territories is the only way." She carried on. "Have any of you made contact with Starclan in recent moons?"

"No," the large tom murmured. His apprentice shook her head. Then Jadestar murmured "I haven't. Last time I went was moons ago. The Moonpool was blank and it reflected no stars and granted no dreams." Her whiskers drooped while Crescentpaw frowned. The longer I look at her, the more scars I notice in-between her fur.

Crescentpaw felt like she ought to know the other cat's names. The tomcat's name was on the tip of her tongue.

"Who are you two?"

"I'm Sootface and this is Rainpaw. She's my daughter." Sootface mewed gruffly. His blocky head was mostly black. A dark slate-grey covered the rest of him, down to his black tailtip. The tom's ashen fur edged with charcoal ebony fufilled his name.

While Rainpaw awkwardly shifted her blue-gray paws, Crescentpaw wondered where the she-cat's mentor was.

"It's nice to meet you, Rainpaw." The young feline looked to be a little older than herself. And yet she had no scars along her short, pretty pelt.

And why is she still an apprentice?

Rainpaw politely mewed the same, but her  hackles were frightfully fluffed. She averted her gaze with a bashful half-smile.

She doesn't want me to pry. Crescentpaw gave the she-cat more space and looked around at Skyclan's forest. The tightly-packed trees were full of multicolored twittering birds all around them. A few emerald leaves spiraled down beyond the standing cats. They twirled around in semi-circles before landing softly on the light-dappled forest floor.

The undergrowth was sprawling but low and partly clear. Vines wrapped up and around trees, clinging to their trunks with resting ivy stems. Crescentpaw even saw a squirrel in a dip among the forest floor between two pine trees. It was several rabbit-bounds off and distorted by the distance and angle. Bushy tail twitching, the squirrel sat up with something in its front paws.

"Crescentpaw, listen." Jadestar spoke up. Her piercing green eyes matched some of the forestry around them.

"I can understand Riverclan wanting to converse with the other clans." Her expression looked disdainful. "But we haven't had any warriors to spare."

"You've got more than Shadowclan. I just came from there." Crescentpaw declared, looking at the leader with arrogance in her gaze.

"No- you don't understand. We have literally no warriors left. It's just us, Hillflower, Pepperpelt and her two kits."

"...Isn't Sootface a warrior?" The apprentice questioned. "And what about Cinderpatch?" She remembered Skyclan's grey-and-white deputy. He had been small for a Skyclan warrior.

"Cinderpatch died and I appointed Sootface my deputy. He went to Starclan because of infectious wounds last leafbare," Jadestar explained.

The apprentice nearly groaned. Not again! But...wait.

Hillflower! She's a medicine cat. Crescentpaw felt her tail-tip flip with joy. Her two-colored eyes stared up at the Skyclan leader with hope.

Rainpaw stilled. She tilted her head curiously but didn't speak, while Jadestar and Sootface looked at each other. Their gazes were shaded by the giant ferns that drooped partly over them.

Sootface looked at her skeptically. "Do you think we're weak?" Ears flattening, Crescentpaw rushed to explain herself.

"No! I'm glad you have a medicine cat and leader left. Riverclan and Shadowclan don't, you see." Three-leaved clovers were sprouted around their paws, a blinding shade of green that turned neon in the sun.

She dipped her head briefly, respectfully meowing "And I'm sorry about your fallen clanmates as well as Cinderpatch."

I didn't expect Skyclan to have no warriors or elders left, though. Did this mean that the other clans were suffering more than Riverclan was?

"Don't talk about it," Sootface muttered, while Jadestar shot him a look that could burn the bark off a tree.

A fierce breeze rocked the treetops above. Jadestar was examining her with a more critical gaze.

Are the wolves everywhere around the lake? Then where do they live and where are their dens? Then she realized that no clan cat would be able to escape the predators after finding out. Which is why they needed Starclan advice.

Crescentpaw squared her shoulders and met the leader's gaze composedly. I can't lose my cool or act like a 'know-it-all.' She almost rolled her eyes, remembering Darkflower's temper. Angled sunbeams slathered dappled light across her shoulders.

"Will you come back to Riverclan with me for an attempt at reaching Starclan?" The apprentice peacefully asked. "I'm gathering what's left of the other clans as well. We need to send cats on a quest to the Moonpool."

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~if you have one, which Clan is your favorite clan?~