Character reveal

Which one did you guess right?

"Haha! You're such an embarrassment, Nighthowl." Velvetpaw tossed her head back while she laughed.

"Pathetically hopeless. You act like any she-cat will want you in the way that you want them." She glanced over at Crescentsky passively before prancing on ahead. 

Now that none of the other cats were watching, she let her paws drag. All except the injured one, that is.

I'm so exhausted. And my leg is throbbing... Now I wish I would've stayed in camp, the tabby-and-white warrior thought. They padded on until the marshes dwindled off into dryer terrain. Tall bluegrass swished in the breeze, tugged this way and that by the fitful evening wind.

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"There's a lot going on in Riverclan's camp right now. We haven't got a lot of cats, despite Jadestar's and her company." Crescentsky explained after they passed through the narrow pathway entrance. Fallen leaves littered their path. They hadn't been cleared by the warriors yet.

The two stationed guards began trailing behind Crescentsky and the Shadowclan arrivals. Clouds parted, and the moonlight returned by the time she made it to highrock. Crescentsky sat down at the foot of the overhung stone, curling her patchy-furred tabby tail around herself in the shadows. The Shadowclan cats all followed her and settled in the stone's shadow as well.

"Crescentsky is definitely the type of cat to leave camp unannounced and show up at the entrance with some sort of crazy news."

"Especially in the middle of the night!" Racconstripe replied, stretching his jaws in a massive yawn.

"Did you even know she was out there? I don't remember seeing her leave."

"No," Emberfawn shook his head, grinning.

Wolfpaw shot Crescentsky a sly grin. "Guess that means she snuck out. Was it the good old dirtplace ditching method?"

By now the cats in the nearby warriors den had awoken to the sound of voices. Some were still blinking sleep from their eyes. Crescentsky found herself sitting beside a languid Raccoonstripe, Jadestar, and Rowanpaw. Darkness shrouded the foliage surrounding Riverclan's camp.

She addressed the three new arrivals with her tail held high.

"Some of the dens haven't been repaired yet, and the medicine cat's den is completely out of use. Riverclan's barrier needs repairing and-"

"We can see all of that." Velvetpaw cut in flatly.

"Uh- And..." she faltered. Crescentsky hadn't expected such an obnoxious interruption.

Alpinefog spoke up for her. "And we don't have a leader. Eveningstar and Smallsparrow died awhile ago."

"We figured. Which means Jadestar is the only leader left around the lake." Velvetpaw sat down and began grooming her paws.

A cloud passed over the thin sliver of moon, plunging the entire camp into darkness and causing all of their eyes to glow when their heads turned.

"Riverclan is waiting on a Starclan sign for their new medicine cat. Supposedly," Sootface told them, pushing his way to the front.

"Oh. That's good." Was all Nighthowl said.

"Sorry. We find it hard to care for the clans anymore- in particular Starclan, after they've done so little to help us." Wolfpaw explained, his gaze unbiased as he studied all of the Riverclan and Skyclan cats.

"What do you expect to gain from coming here tonight, then?" Jadestar asked.

"Our camp was invaded," Nighthowl began.

"We want refuge and a safe place to stay. I want to eventually strike out on my own, if Darkflower doesn't turn up- but at a time when it's more convenient. Leaf-fall is just around the riverbend." He turned his head to survey his audience.

"Plus; wolves killing cats around the lake, you see," he chuckled.

"Oh, we know all too well," Crescentsky shot back. "Seeing as how we stayed here, even after the other clans disbanded or left." Including yours!

For some reason, his joking attitude never seemed to amuse her. Moreso the opposite, in fact.

"It's like we told that kittypet she-cat three quarter moons ago. We haven't got the authority to tell you yes or no." Quietdew grimaced as she said it.

"But if you ask me, I don't want you stinking Shadowclan cats here. Whether you smell more like loners now or not!"

"Calm yourself, Quietdew." Lagoonstripe cut a path through the tight knot of cats surrounding Crescentsky.

"Of course they can stay. But they'll have to hunt, patrol, and stand guard in their turn like everyone else. They'll be risking their lives by staying, just as they would be in going." She blinked.

"Velvetpaw, Wolfpaw, isn't it? If I'm remembering correctly."

The two nodded.

"You've since surpassed the age of twelve moons old, so you'll be treated the same as any Riverclan warrior. I expect no less of you."

"I can help teach you how to fish," Cheetah cut in.

"See?" Rainstrike cut in just then, her voice confident yet rebellious. Her accusatory tone was aimed toward her mother.

"Those cats aren't treated like apprentices! Or kits!"

Jadestar scoffed, but she said nothing. Crescentsky was about to head to her nest, but Oatpaw spoke up with another interjection.

"I'm not a kit either. I'm training with my new mentor Emberfawn tomorrow. You can't stop me from leaving camp again for another day!"

"Hush. Now isn't the time to discuss it!" Pepperpelt hissed. Her speckled gray fur was starting to bristle up in annoyance.

The Riverclan warrior's heart sank. She'd really thought that Pepperpelt might see her son's enthusiasm and let him be trained under Emberfawn.

I'm gonna have to step in about that. Just not right now. Her eyelids were practically forcing themselves shut.

Crescentsky felt mentally drained. Like she was in the middle of the clan's banter all too often, and that for once she needed to take a step away from it. Cats were practically yowling into her ears.

"You deal with it from here. I'm getting some sleep. My wound hurts," she muttered into Lagoonstripe's ear.

"Crescentsky, wait. Why were you out of camp after sunfall? You know it's dangerous, especially for a lone warrior who's still injured!"

"I just needed some fresh air." Anxiety cascaded down to her paws as she told the lie.

"Then why did you sneak out? You didn't tell any cat, or ask them to go with you. And from the sound of it, you went pretty far!" Lagoonstripe narrowed her forest-green eyes, trying to meet Crescentsky's gaze.

"What do you need, Tinyflame?" The tabby warrior yowled and looked around Lagoonstripe's shoulder, but her heart sank as she did so. She trudged away quickly, acting like she hadn't heard her.

"Wait! I'm worried about you." The cat who'd been her mentor's voice receded into the background.

Another one. The tabby-and-white she-cat stifled a sigh.

I can't keep lying to my clan. The disloyalty was plaguing her ability to interact with her clanmates openly.

Crescentsky fought off the tension that was threatening to tie knots in her belly. She hoisted her throbbing hind-leg higher off the ground, daring not to glance at the inflamed, tender bite wound.

Ugh. No more of this. I don't care if we don't know all the extremities yet!

As soon as I wake up, I'll let Tinyflame know.

I'm telling the clan tomorrow.

🐈‍⬛

"Roll over for a second. I need to check those injuries."

Crescentsky was woken early the next day, as Lagoonstripe poked and prodded through her fur to find and examine her wounds. The light wasn't very bright in the den-space, but by the vigorous amounts of sniffing that Lagoonstripe was doing, her main concern seemed to be rooting out infection.

She sat up and leaned back. Worry was shimmering in the warrior's emerald gaze. Then she pointed with her tail to the wound on Crescentsky's haunch.

"That smells of infection. And you're warm to the touch. If you don't get it treated you could lose the use of your hind-leg."

The bracken in Crescentsky's nest crinkled as she sat up abruptly. The pang of fear she felt only worsened her hot, aching forehead.

"There's nothing we can do except trust in Starclan. Surely they intend to send us the sign today," Lagoonstripe began soothing her.

"Do Tinyflame's wounds smell clean?"

"Yes," Lagoonstripe replied evenly.

"It's yours I'm most concerned about. But you'll be okay." She swiped her tongue over the space between Crescentsky's ears.

"You wouldn't need to be concerned about either of us if Starclan had gotten a move on," Tinyflame growled. She was often irritable in the mornings.

"Speaking of Starclan, we need to talk." Crescentsky muttered into her sister's ear-fur.

Lagoonstripe leaned closer, ears pricked. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Crescentsky meowed tonelessly, in a way that invited no more conversation.

Ugh. I'll have to discuss it with her later.

Lagoonstripe flicked her tail. "Sure. Now come with me. We're going to clean your wounds and replace your cobweb dressings."

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Thought-provoking Question:

Q1: Do you want Windclan to play a more involved role in book 2?