Marshtail's tail flicked in annoyance at Shadowscar's arrogance. "I saved that apprentice's tail for your information." she snapped yanking her nose in Shadowpaw's direction. "I am not a prisoner!"

"Temper, temper..." Crowpaw mumbled, flicking his tail in amusement. "Go into the medicine cat's den and take the nest next to the kit." 

Marshtail's head tilted in confusion. "You have sick kits? That's terrible!"

"No no no, not sick, or at least we hope not. Just lost" Crowpaw said. "Stormblaze, you can go with her if you'd like." 

Ashflight smiled at Shadowscar as she entered camp, but didn't say anything to him. She knew he was sort of touchy when it came to talking to other cats. He had completely lost it on poor Dreamcloud just that morning for asking about his paw. Uninterested in the Terraclan cats, she went to see Gladestar, recently delivered to the medicine cat's den. She pressed her nose to her leader's pelt curiously- still cold. Sighing, she turned to see her brother, Eagletalon. He looked tired. "Eagletalon!" she purred, nuzzling close to him. She didn't care about sickness. "How are you feeling?"

Minnowfoot scratched his ears lightly to dislodge a tick. Shuddering, he padded into the warrior's den and groomed the wetness out of his fur. He went over the current situation in his mind. His brother was sick, his leader lost a life, and the Gathering was tonight and he suspected there were very few clans there. He knew for a fact that Darkclan was here, and it was likely that Terraclan was worrying about Marshtail and Stormblaze. 

Applesong nosed her way into the medicine cat's den. "Now is not the time for visiting" she snapped at Ashflight.

Ashflight jumped when Appleong said her name. "Alright, I'll see you later" she told Eagletalon, sliding out of the medicine area and into her own den. Minnowfoot was already dry. Following his example, she groomed the water out of her fur and laid next to him silently.

Applesong touched her nose to the kit. Deciding that she was alright, she moved on to Marshtail. "Where does it hurt?" Applesong asked.

"Where do you think it hurts?" Marshtail laughed. "My paw."

"Yes I know your paw hurts, but did the fox get you anywhere else?" Applesong said.

"Nope" Marshtail said.

"And you Stormblaze?" Applesong asked. 

--- 

Pinebloom noticed Willowstar and ran after her. "Willowstar, are you alright?" she asked. Willowstar looked terrified. Marshtail and Stormblaze were still missing. Did Willowstar have an idea of where they might be?

Stormblaze dipped his headgratefully. He thought that it was kind of them for treating him nicely. It really was like the Gathering, he had to admit.

Gorsepaw hopped into the medicine cat den. She began to look for some cobwebs in her herb storage. 

Stormblaze sat down. "I'm just a little sore from running and everything." he told her. "Treat the others first." the tom added, stepping aside for the medicine cats to do their work.

Eagletalon nuzzled her gently. "Don't get too close." he mewed, eyes glimmering with sadness. "You must not get sick." he told her. "Thanks for the sympathy, I appreciate it. I feel fine. A little weak, but otherwise, okay." Eagletalon rasped. He flicked his tail at the sudden burst of other cats. The medicine cat den could only hold so many. "Bye." he mewed, waving the tip of his tail.

Vanilla moved a bit. She heard voices again. Cats outside. She felt that her fur was lighter; it must've been cleaned by one of the cats. Vanillabroke free of her slumber and opened her eyes slowly. She felt cold, and shivered. "H-hello." she mewed groggily. Vanilla raised her tail in greeting.

Applesong's attention tore away from Marshtail and onto the kit. "Gorsepaw, care for Marshtail's paw. You," she stared at the kit. "Come with me, we're going to Gladestar's den."

Gladestar blinked awake and moaned. She was still sore. Her ears twitched and she stood up. She didn't miss much. Seeing Applesong leave with the kit to her own den, she instantly followed without even greeting any other cat.

Marshtail shrugged and held out her mangled paw to Gorsepaw. "I don't think it's bad, it should heal well, right?" Marshtail stared at her paw. 

((Hawkit is like totally fail,))

Hawkit squeaked and tried to catch up. He stopped and cut through Hailclan border to the gathering. "I'm a kit!" he squeaked but it was to late everyone had noticed him.

((Has anyone noticed that the Gathering is not happening? Bad Willowstar and Gladestar! XD))

Gorsepaw gave a nod. She took a nice piece of cobweb and wrapped it around carefully. "It will heal." she reas.sured Marshtail. The she-cat began to crush some leaves into a poultice. Gorsepaw dabbed some of the mixture onto the cobwebs. Then she wrapped another piece around to keep it together. "Don't do anything harsh to it." she mewed.

Vanilla gave an upset wail. Her tail dragged along the mud as she followed Applesong. "Can't I just go??" she asked, ears flicking raindrops off of them. "I'm going to dieeee." she moaned dramatically. But her eyes flashed in some rage.

Stormblaze took a moment to sort of gather himself. "Can I go back now? I have to tell the others that we're okay. Besides, the other Clans are still waiting for us. They'll get angry." he mewed.

((But won't she fret about Hawkkit and Vanilla? The other Clans are just floating around in the rain, getting upset. XDDD Just saying.))

Applesong blinked in surprise. She looked at Gladestar expectantly.

Gladestar stared at the kit, suprised she would be having so much attitude to a clan leader, or any cat older than her for that matter. "You need to learn to respect those elder to you" she snapped. "I want to know who you are, where you came from and why you were on Darkclan territory!" Gladestar glared sharply at Applesong.

That was her que to leave. Applesong slipped out of the  leader's den and ran back to her own before she could get too wet.

Marshtail smiled at Gorsepaw. "Thanks." she said. "Where's Shadowpaw? I need to talk to her before we leave Stormblaze, it's important."

Pinebloom nosed Willowstar back from the border, she was barely a mouse length from crossing. "Are you alright?" she repeated, worried. "Willowstar?" 

Vanilla gave a sniff. "You guys are mean." she mewed. "The friends I had before were nice to me!" she wailed. "Thank you for bringing up my dead family and friends!" she added. "And I was on your territory because I thought that the trees would shelter me, since the mean house cats and loners around won't help me. And you know what? They were nicer to me than you! Plus, your scent markers washed away so how was I supposed to know what was your territory? How unfair that you think all of this land belongs to you! Because it doesn't! This is space that should belong to everyone, not just to some greedy meanies!" she huffed. Her hackles were raised, eyes flashing. She would've attacked the older she-cat, right there. But she was more powerful.

Gorsepaw heard yelling. She cringed. It did not sound like Gladestar. It was probably the kit. Poor thing. She snapped back to life at the sound of Marshtail's voice. "I think she went to the apprentice's den." she mewed.

Stormblaze nodded. "I'll wait here." he meowed, sitting down. "You go talk to her."

Gorsepaw began to check Stormblaze for wounds. She gave him some herbs for his soreness.

 "And another thing!" she yowled, tail whipping back and forth. "You can at least introduce yourself to me! Haven't you noticed that YOU were the ones who took me? I don't even feel comfortable here! The most kindness I've been shown lately was when I was cleaned." Vanilla growled. "Also, I was in between what was probably territories. Like I said, how was I supposed to know what was what? The borders were so washed away that a well-trained cat wouldn't be able to scent it. Anyways, I was sitting on some mud, beneath one of your mist-covered trees and a pretty green tree on the other side," Vanilla hissed. "Can't you just leave me alone?! I haven't done anything to you!" she added, fuming.

 Gorsepaw gave a shudder. A deaf elder would be able to hear her shrieking. A deaf elder in the busy Twolegplace, too! She sighed as she applied a poultice to a wound on Stormblaze. "I wish her luck." she mumbled, shaking her head sadly.

((Lol, angstyyy, angstyyy kit!))

Gladestar dug her claws into the soft bedding of her den. She stood up in calm rage and looked down on the kit with narrowed eyes. "My name is Gladestar" she said calmly. "When I found you, you were not under a dry tree, and you sure as Starclan were not sleeping of your own will. You were barely breathing when I brought you back, and it was raining hard. I was soaking wet, and so were you. I'm surprised you're not on your back with sickness by now." she continued. "Let's start over, I'm sorry I snapped at you, I simply thought you were another clan cat, and I didn't want a kit to be separated from its parents, nor did I want to be blamed for stealing one." Gladestar sat down. "Now will you tell me your name?"

Marshtail nodded and walked out into the clearing. She saw a black tail swish inside a den and followed it, hoping it was her. Luckily, she had been right. "Shadowpaw?" she said cautiously.

Willowstar could only stare in horror at the border. "My cats.." She whispered, eyes blank. "Oh Starclan NO!" She yowled and jumped towards the border. Not even hearing Pinebloom, she stopped, nearly on the edge. "Badger..... No... Musn't cross." She yowled, her fear of disobeying Starclan fighting against her fear for her Clan.

Hawkshadow got up and mumbled something that sounded like, "We'll miss you elders, faithful warriors of the past." Brushing past Ashflight, Shadowscar regained some of his old fierceness and glared at her suspiciously, as if he was a kit being offered a plump rat for being naughty.  

Pinebloom was getting angry. "Willowstar! You are the leader of the clan now! Tell me what is wrong!" she snapped. "Wildstar was never so weak as you are now!"

Ashflight blinked in suprise as Shadowscar brushed her side. She blinked at him for a second before simply walking away. He just bumped into me, it was nothing. She told herself.

Minnowfoot saw Shadowscar bump into his sister. He glared at him and growled protectively. That was his sister. He knew very well that Shadowscar had a fierce temper and an attitude to match; and he didn't like it.

(( Ehwhut? I thought Oaks/Elmstar was the leader of this clan. o3o At least, that's what I said a while ago.))

Willowstar froze, and something froze inside of her. Leaders musn't be weak. The Clan hasn't been this way since Wildstar stepped down. Turning slowly towards Pinebloom, her usually kind, gentle, and carefree eyes were locked in a death stare. "What did you say?" She hissed, eyes narrowing. "I was never as weak as Wildstar! How do you think I felt when one of my mother's nestmates proved to be as weak and as cowardly as a shrew being killed?!" She yowled, displaying a very rare show of fury and anger. Willowstar didn't care. She had a touchy pride, and it snapped completely inside of her.

Shadowscar heard Minnowfoot growl, and looked at him oddly, as if wondering what the heck he was doing. Padding away, his tail showed no movement, but everyone in the Clan could have sworn his whiskers where twitching in amusement. Such protective tendencies. He thought, digging his claws into the dirt as he stretched. Let the Terraclan cats leave. I won't trouble them.... Much. 

((I just made it up because I didn't know. XDDD You're probably right))

"Well, Elmstar never sat at the border close to tears because two warriors went missing!" Pinebloom hissed. "Look Willowstar, as a clan, we don't care about your past, we care that you can lead us to victory and health. Can you do that?" she said in a low hiss.

Minnowfoot's tail flicked. Shadowscar got the picture. His sister was not up for grabs, he wouldn't tolerate him near her. He walked over to Ashflight and sat down next to her. He licked her ear affectionately.

Ashflight chuckled. "What is it Minnowfoot?"

"What?" Minnowfoot said.

"Somethings got your whiskers in a bunch." Ashflight purred.

"It's nothing" Minnowfoot laughed convincingly. "I'm just worried about what Gladestar will do about the gathering."

"Okay." Ashflight said. "I don't think we'll even make it to the gathering tonight, it's getting late, warriors need to sleep if they want food the next day. And we have to be prepared to patrol our borders if the rain stops. Like the kit said, the scents are weak."

Minnowfoot shrugged. "Well, someone ought to go tell the clans that we're still here before they try and steal our territory."

"They wouldn't dare in the face of the full moon" Ashflight said.

"It's after the full moon that I'm worried about."