underneath the glow of the moon, whisperclan cats settled in the field of the gathering place, mumbling to one another while they awaited for the arrival of thornclan.

due to the long journey in which whisperclan had to embark on to arrive at the gatherings, they were usually the ones who arrived late - and so the absence of thornclan and its occupants cast a sense of worry on the warriors who'd gathered.

❝ where are they? ❞ tulipfish exclaimed after rising to his feet, hammering a paw into the ground with a hint of impatience dripping off his tongue.

mothroar briskly stood up and barred his teeth at the warrior. tulipfish soon sifted back down onto his rear and apologised.

❝ if they don't arrive soon, i will send a few of you out to their camp to retrieve them, or see what has kept them from coming, ❞ stormstar beckoned from sitting atop one of the two stumps.

the leader narrowed his pale-blue eyes, gaze fixed at the thicket from which thornclan normally appeared. there was a worrying silence and a dread-filled expectancy hanging heavily in the air as the minutes ticked by.

finally, out of the shadows, emerged thornclan, stumbling along in a hushed solemnity. unlike their usual vigorous strut, their arrival was somber, devoid of any haughty thornclan swagger. it wasn't hard to spot that their usual fiery eyes held a hint of despair, a few stumbling with lethargic movement.

the silence was broken by anxious murmurs from whisperclan, and the thud of a thornclan feline who collapsed onto the ground, exhaustion weighing them down.

a rusted orange tom-cat with battle-scarred features stepped forward, shouldering his way to the front with difficulty, before dragging himself up onto the empty stump. bramblestar, leader of thornclan, known for his proud disposition and hard-line tenacity looked frail and haggard.

with a heaviness in his tone that caused an uneasy ripple to spread through the gathered cats, he spoke out to those before him, ❝ forgive our tardiness, a sickness has gripped thornclan strongly, ❞. he dipped his head in respect, regretfully meeting stormstar's eyes. ❝ we are losing more and more warriors with every passing day. we've come with a desperate plea, ❞

a tangible silence followed bramblestar's revelation and as it hung in the air, he continued, ❝ our elders, queens and kits are most vulnerable. whatever it is, shows no sign of retreating. it has already taken the lives of a two of our strongest warriors today, and three more lay critically ill in the medicine den. i don't wish this on any cat, and for that, we cannot afford to expose our weakest members, ❞

the leader stopped and drew in a heavy breath. it was evident from the exhausted expressions and the scarce amount of cats representing thornclan, that they had been struggling greatly.

❝ we beg whisperclan to offer them shelter until we can halt the spread of this vile sickness. their safety... it's in jeopardy. our very survival is at stake, ❞ a small whimper could be heard in bramblestar's voice as he spoke.

as the words left bramblestar's mouth, the clearing grew deathly quiet as the group awaited for stormstar to make a decision. with a small nod, he acknowledged bramblestar's call for aid.

❝ we will care for your vulnerable until your sickness is banished, they will be welcomed into our clan like they are our own, ❞

bramblestar's wished to not allow the gathering to go on for too long, not wanting to run the risk of causing anyone in whisperclan to fall sick with whatever their clan harboured.

❝ thank you... ❞ bramblestar whispered. he scanned the crowd of his clan, in which had separated like he had asked before their arrival. ❝ gentlesap and harvestmensight, along with bleakpaw, slugpaw, stemstream and her two kittens, will be those joining you on your travels back to camp, ❞

the called cats stood up, cautiously, and tip-toed towards a collective of whisperclan cats who welcomed them with warm smiles.

the gathering was silenced, except for the faint sound of shuffling paws as both clans readied to depart and head back to their territories. stormstar allowed thornclan to vacate the gathering place first, and told whisperclan to hang back for the time being while they all dispersed.

thornclan warriors shakily took to their feet and walked slowly from the open field, and back the way they had came upon their arrival, slithering away one by one.

golden fur shone beneath the moonlight, and a warrior remained where he had been seated, his eyes burning with worry. his usual robust frame was tightened and stiffened. the sound of his leaders plea echoed in the back of his mind.

bramblestar's cry for help threw his world off of its axis, making him want to shudder and claw out the unwanted truth.

stemstream, berrykit, flowerkit... his mate and his kits. his heart seemed to roar inside his chest, twinging with pain. they were to join whisperclan until the health of their own clan improved, and while it was a better fate than a certain and painful death by sickness, the prospect of seeing them off to an unfamiliar territory was unbearable. he could already feel a gnawing hollowness at the thought of the camp devoid of his little ones' playful prancing or his mate's comforting purr.

he remained where he was, alone in his thoughts and in a state of stillness. the world moved slower around him and the last few of his clan crept out of the gathering place - whisperclan soon taking their leave.

lionstone couldn't move. he dug his claws into the soil, and his throat rumbled. ❝ no, ❞ he growled, ❝ i'm not leaving without stemstream, ❞

bramblestar's ears perked at the warriors protest and he turned, being one of the last to leave from thornclan. ❝ it's too dangerous for them to be in camp... ❞

❝ but that does not mean i should return alone, ❞ he argued. his voice rang across the empty clearing, firm and reinstating. a shocked silence met his refusal, but the tom-cat did not falter. ❝ i would rather die beside them, as a warrior should, than let sickness decide my fate in our camp, ❞

bramblestar hadn't the strength to fight nor argue with the stubborn feline and the pair locked focus on one another. after a tense moment, the leader relented, and he dipped his head.

lionstone made his decision. he would not — no, could not — retreat back to thornclan's disease-infested camp, waiting to either die a horrid death or endure a hollow survival, empty without his mate and kittens. as much as his loyalty sang to the blood-pounding rhythms of thornclan, he had another loyalty too - to his mate and his offspring.

he could bear to part from thornclan. he could even confront the menace of an unseen death. but a life without stemstream, without his kittens' play and tiny explorations, was one thing lionstone knew he would never withstand.

with his decision made, lionstone nodded respectfully at bramblestar before he padded towards his family. his tail ran comforting circles around the trembling kits, eyes soft and assuring as the met stemstream's worried gaze. the murmurings of his clan did not bother him.

❝ welcome to whisperclan, ❞ sweetpaw whispered, having wormed her way down through the crowd. she grimaced at the kittens and stuck out her tongue, which caused the pair to giggle - and a breath of relief and ease forced its way out of their mothers mouth.

the water from the early morning rain dribbled off of the leaves and trees from the greenery across the whole of the territory, causing droplets to splatter on the muddy ground below.

bodies entwined in one harmonious cluster as cats lapped up the pleasant sensation of the afternoon sunshine in peace. with their tails swishing, purrs rumbling like an undercurrent, and their vivid, ever-watchful eyes relaxed but vigilant, the air brimmed with contentment.

sweetpaw lay by the river that threaded through the camp. her eyes shone in the sun, reflecting her pleasure at the warm afternoon. beside her lay hollyhockfang, who listened in on the apprentices narrative of what she had done that day.

meanwhile, on the opposite end of camp, milkfang ran her rough tongue over the fur of her apprentice, wingpaw. wingpaw squirmed like a kitten attempting to pry from its mothers grasp, as he attempted to replay a battle scene that had played out in his head while he was asleep, which caused the older warrior to rumble with suppressed laughter.

elder tales intermingled with warrior discussions, while stemstream basked in the clearing, under the watchful eye of her mate, while their two kits frolicked in the shadows cast from the comfortable quilt of sunlight.

stalks of reeds quivered as flowerkit bolted through, his paws skimming lightly over the mud-covered earth. his nose twitched, inhaling the lingering scents of a warm day, while his kit-blue eyes focused intently on his sister, berrykit, who lay in wait beside their mothers body.

lionstone observed from afar, a vacant expression set upon his face while he watched his kittens frolic with one another around the camp. a slow, soft purr rolled out from his throat as he watched them bound around playfully, adding an oddly comforting tune to the tone of whisperclan's camp.

the sing-song of creaking wood caused heads to turn and stories silenced in a matter of moments. stormstar stood atop the calling tree and opened his mouth to speak and beckon everyone to gather, but they beat him to it - and readied for the clan meeting.

once the last whispers in the clan had died down, stormstar cleared his throat. ❝ as you are all aware, whisperclan has become a temporary refuge for some thornclan residents - two of which being apprentices, who will be given temporary mentors to last the duration of their stay, ❞

the two apprentices sat close to one another. their whiskers twitched with anxiety and anticipation as they waited for their name to be called.

❝ bleakpaw, until you receive your warrior name, or until you return to thornclan, you will be given coppernose as a mentor, and i hope she will pass on everything she knows to you, ❞

coppernose heard her name and walked her way through the crowd before touching her nose to bleakpaw's.

❝ and slugpaw, until you receive your warrior name, or until you return to thornclan, you will be given risingwater as a mentor, and i hope she will pass on everything she knows to you, ❞

the clan stayed silent - unsure as to if they should chant out their names or not, but after a drumming of paws against the floor, and a hushed voice called out for the new apprentices, the crowd grew louder.

stormstar dismissed the clan before retreating from the stick, and back into his den once again. the loud echoing voice of mothroar bounced across the camp as he beckoned for the new mentors to take their apprentices out of camp for some training, and to allow them to get accustomed to their temporary new territory, before he too vanished from camp and out of sight.

brindlefur slipped away into the medicine den after being dismissed, her mind engrossed in thought. flypaw trotted closely behind her, his eyes shooting curious glances over his shoulder, fascinated by the complex layers of conversations that happened once again.

the sun had surrendered the enveloping cloak of the darkness, leaving behind only a painting of dappled starlight across the sky. the clearing was empty as the cats retreated to their dens, and returned from late night patrols.

berrykit and flowerkit's laughter echoed softly against the nursery walls as the pair sparred with one another, energetically recreating a story they had heard earlier that day from some of the warriors. the gentle sweep of their mothers tail, and the soft hum of her voice meant the both of them needed to wind-down for the night. they softly protested but soon clambered up to stemstream's stomach for warmth - small jaws parting with a yawn.

the kits were quickly lulled by the calming rhythm of their mother's voice, eyes fluttering closed. a soft rustling disturbed the peaceful quiet, and lionstone padded into the nursery. with a purr, lionstone greeted stemstreem and their kits, who chirruped their welcomes back to him. careful not to disturb his sleepy family, lionstone quietly curled up alongside stemstream. he leaned into her, their warm sides touching and his deep purr filling the nursery.

footstep's outside caused the couple to fold back their ears and silently curse under their breath, not wanting their now sleeping kittens to be disturbed by foolish felines who stayed up so late.

❝ but hollyhockfang, ❞ sweetpaw mewed earnestly, trying to match his stride as he stalked towards the warriors' den. ❝ it's been forever since we've been out of camp, ❞

the tuxedo tom-cat let out an irritated sigh, but slowed his steps enough for the apprentice to catch up. ❝ the borders aren't going anywhere, sweetpaw, you'll be fine, ❞ he grumbled.

❝ please? ❞ the she-cat pressed, her eyes widened and her ears began to slowly push back against her head.

hollyhockfang glanced down at the eager she-cat beside him, unsure about taking her out at night.

❝ the territory isn't the same after moon-high, sweetpaw, ❞ he mumbled, ❝ it's dangerous, ❞

❝ but i've seen what the day has to offer! i want to be a great warrior like you, ❞ she argued with a scowl. hollyhockfang rolled his eyes, and huffed.

the determination in her green eyes caused the tom to cave into her desperate demands. ❝ fine. ❞

hollyhockfang stopped and faced sweetpaw. ❝ you must stay close to me. we'll leave when everyone is asleep, ❞

sweetpaw nodded her head rapidly and darted off to the apprentices den in preparation for their trip, leaving hollyhockfang to idle outside the warriors den, battling his thoughts about whether doing this was a good idea or not.

he turned and entered the den before settling himself down in his nest where he waited for sleep and silence to smother the clan.