Sunlight shifted through the red-and-orange leaved trees, casting bright shadows across the forest. Among the trunks, a group of cats trotted along a hard, dusty dirt trail.

   Lichennose was among them. It'd been six sunrises since the Gathering, and his infection had healed just two days before. Now, he was able to join in patrols again, and the feeling of finally stretching his legs was great. He was flanked by Cedarwatcher, as they followed Asterfoot and Thorntail down the old thunderpath towards the abandoned twoleg nest to check on the odd scents. The former day's hunting and border patrols had all reported of stronger, fresher scents.

   Lichennose shivered at the chill on the breeze, snatching him away from his thoughts. Glancing off the trail, he watched a shriveled red leaf drift down towards the dulling grass, which was scattered with many other leaves and close-to-dying plants. It was nearly mid Leaffall, and the forest was showing it.

   The patrol rounded a huge elm with yellow-and-orange leaves, spotting the abandoned twoleg nest. Lichennose shivered again, but this time not from the cold. The nest always spooked him. Asterfoot trotted forward, legs stiff, and bowed his head to sniff at the grass closest to them. He curled his lip, looking back at the three cats. "The scent is definitely fresher here than yesterday. And stronger, too. Whoever's been coming surely wants it to belong to them." Cedarwatcher's eyes widened and he stiffened.

   Lichennose narrowed his eyes, seeing something shift between the shadows inside the old nest. He felt as if all the ice to ever exist had been dumped on him, and he froze in terror. Who in all the stars is here?

   "Move aside, I'll scare them right out of their flea-ridden pelts!" with a tremendous yowl, Thorntail charged forward, leaping right through a square-shaped, crumbling hole in one stone wall. At the corners of the hole, sharp, dusty shards of scratched ice stuck out like jagged claws. Asterfoot screeched in shock, jumping in after him with an annoyed growl.

   "No! Get back out here!" Cedarwatcher yelped, his tail bushing out in fear. Lichennose unsheathed his claws, standing rigid, as if he expected a wave of hissing rouges to leap out and tear his pelt off.

   Suddenly, the slack of wood hanging off one of the taller openings close to the ground creaked, and Asterfoot padded out, dragging an angry Thorntail by his brown scruff. "It's just a mouse! Don't get your fur in a twist!"

   Lichennose relaxed, but couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

   "Then what are all the scents for?" Thorntail hissed, outraged as he yanked himself from Asterfoot's grasp. "A loner must've come here to inspect it, but left when it smelled us." Asterfoot growled, his bristling tail lashing. Great StarClan, they'll be shredding one another to mousedust soon!

   "Now, settle down, you two." Cedarwatcher stepped forward, still stiff from shock. "As long as it's gone, there's no reason to stick around here. Why don't we hunt? The Clan will need lots of food stocked up before Leafbare hits."

   Lichennose admired the older tom's calmness as he paused the other warriors' argument. Thorntail huffed, Asterfoot glaring at his denmate. After a few moments, both cats agreed.

   "Alright. Lichennose and Cedarwatcher, you can go along the old thunderpath, and maybe check if any squirrels are sheltering in the ancient oak. Nobody's gone down there for a while. But be careful, I don't want any drown Clanmates!" he ended in a higher-pitched tone, warning them with a glint in his eyes. "Thorntail and I will be heading down to the WindClan border. We'll refresh it while we're there." Asterfoot flicked his tail, and the patrol split up.

   Cedarwatcher turned, leading the way down the old trail. "StarClan, they better not get into another fight while hunting." the old tom muttered under his breath, annoyance sparking in his eyes. Lichennose realized he hadn't been meant to hear, and didn't say anything about it.

   Lichennose's gaze traveled over the edges of the path, spotting a yellow furze plant growing in clumps along one side.

"Should we check over there for mouse holes? They might be sheltering from the cold there." He flicked an ear as Cedarwatcher turned, glancing at the bush. The old warrior nodded, "Good eyes."

Lichennose felt pride swell in his chest. Yes! I impressed a senior warrior! He crept after Cedarwatcher as both cats snuck towards the plant, ears perked. Cedarwatcher fell back a tail-length from the bush, allowing Lichennose to sniff among the fronds.

He parted his jaws to draw in more of the scent. The musty smell of old leaves, the furze's flowers, and stale mouse. It's too dull to be fresher than a day or two, he rose to his paws and looked at the older ton, "Nope, no prey here."

"We should go down to the ancient oak, like Asterfoot suggested." Cedarwatcher twitched his whiskers, the fur along his spine prickling. From the cold, probably, Lichennose observed, "How about you head down towards it, and I'll stay up here? That way, we cover both places in less time. If anything happens, we can just yowl for each other." Lichennose waved his tail. Cedarwatcher hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, that sounds good." he turned and started down the cold trail.

Lichennose flicked his tail-tip and, sniffing the air, picked up the scent of squirrel. He padded towards a clump of thin-stemmed ferns, their leaves shriveled and providing little shelter. The pale tabby dropped into a hunter's crouch, though froze in place when a twig snapped nearby. Someone's watching me.

Before Lichennose could get to his paws, the smell of a stranger cat swamped his senses, and a black shape tackled him to the ground. Lichennose gasped in shock, the dark tom slashing his claws across the tabby's nose.

Lichennose thrashed under his grip, but couldn't struggle free. Great StarClan, it's the border fight all over again! I can't be trapped in the medicine cat's den for the rest of my life! Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a red-brown striped pelt charging towards them. Cedarwatcher!

   Lichennose tried to kick at the stranger's belly, but Cedarwatcher caught up and threw him off, both cats rolling on the trail and grappling at one another. Lichennose leapt onto his paws, and as he watched them, the battle between Aspenshade and Mudfoot clung to his mind like stubborn cobwebs. Why do I always have to be saved? I'm not a helpless kit, I can fight for myself!

   Suddenly, the black tom slid from Cedarwatcher's grasp, and backed against an old oak tree. He hissed, tail bushing out and lashing. Lichennose finally got a good look at him. The tom was rather scrawny, but thick-muscled, probably from lots of fights. His legs were shockingly long, and his ears bigger than normal. Lichennose recalled seeing cats with similar traits at the Gathering, especially in Patchstar.

   Lichennose was suddenly aware of the blood dripping from his nose. Great, now I've got a nosebleed.

   "Who are you?" Lichennose demanded, after realizing Cedarwatcher hadn't spoken yet. The rouge glanced between them before raising his head and answering, "My name is Samwise. One of your... Clanmates barged into our home earlier today, and Raven sent me to find you." Lichennose thought back to the abandoned twoleg nest. I knew there was a reason I felt uneasy! He was the thing I saw in the shadows!

   "That 'Clanmate' is named Thorntail." Lichennose hissed, lowering his ears. Dumb rouge! He should know not to mess with ThunderClan warriors!

   Cedarwatcher stepped forward, murmuring in Lichennose's ear, "All we can do is tell Berrystar." The pale tabby lashed his tail in annoyance, wanting only to shred this stranger, but felt unease stab his pelt like claws when blood started to trickle down his throat.

   "Fine. Take this as a warning, Samwise. Now get your flea-ridden tail back to wherever you come from, and tell all your friends to stay off of ThunderClan territory!" he fluffed out his chest. It had somehow spooked Samwise, as he scampered off into the trees with a spiked pelt.

Cedarwatcher let Lichennose lean on his shoulder on the way back. How was I suddenly so commanding? Lichennose wondered, Is that how it feels to be a leader? Probably. He suddenly realized they were at the camp's entrance. The pale tom slid down the rocks, Cedarwatcher on his tail. The two split up as the elderly warrior headed towards Berrystar's den. Not wanting to gather attention, Lichennose hurried towards Willowwhisker's den. My nose better not be infected. Another moon in this den and I'll be madder than a fox in a fit!

   Lichennose dipped into the den, flicking an ear. Willowwhisker poked his head out from the herb storage, eyeing him, "Great StarClan, what now?" Lichennose padded forward, his head low to keep the blood from going down his throat, and explained what'd happened.

   Willowwhisker inspected his muzzle for a moment, "You're lucky, it's only a nosebleed." 'Only a nosebleed'? What else could've happened? "All you need is some cobwebs and it'll be gone in a few minutes." The matted medicine cat returned to his herbs for a moment, then padded back with a stick swathed in webbing. Dear StarClan, it's the infection all over again.

   After Willowwhisker had padded cobwebs on to stop the blood, he spoke again, "Keep your head down to keep it out of your throat. And if the bleeding continues for too long, come back here so I can check it. When the bleeding's stopped you can just throw the cobwebs out in the woods." Lichennose nodded, sniffling. Webbing got sucked into his nose, and he coughed a little. Ew...

Lichennose then padded out of the den, hopping into the main clearing of camp and trotting over to the warriors' den, aware of the stares focused in his direction. Berrystar will probably call a meeting later and explain what happened to everyone.

He raised his head as Quailflight padded from the nursery, her belly fat with unborn kits. She turned, heading in his direction with a swaying tail and smile. We've grown closer since the Gathering.

   "What's happened to your nose?" she asked, rubbing her cheek with hers then sitting beside him. Lichennose noticed how she sat awkwardly. She can't sit straight with that swollen belly, he observed, then replied with, "Me and Cedarwatcher met a rouge named Samwise while on patrol. He gave me a good hit straight to my muzzle, but we chased him off."

   Fear filled his mate's eyes, "Is he gone now?" Lichennose nodded, purring as fondness for Quailflight filled his senses, "I scared him right out of his flea-ridden fur." Quailflight purred with a short chuckle, and nuzzled his shoulder, gazing over the camp. "Our kits will be happy here, Lichennose."

   "Yep. They sure will, Quailflight. I promise."

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Woo! 'Nother long chapter. Which cat do you think is the real father to Quailflight's kits? I want to know what you all think!