The sudden sounds of birds chirping in the distance awoke a black-and-ginger tortoiseshell molly from her fragile slumber. It was preferable, however, as her dreams were filled with nightmarish scenes. She turned her amber gaze to the exit of the dark stony den she was inside of. Despite thick vines covering the exit, making it darker, Hollypaw could tell that it was late at night. There were no other sounds beside chirping birds and the wind rustling the vines slightly.

After everything that happened, the calm nature of the Roots' camp was relieving. The deaths of Mapleheart's kits and Sootclaw were unexpected events that the Territory of the Roots was still recovering from the shock of, even if it was four moons ago. Recovery was going well, and most cats were getting back into their normal routines.

The sudden stirring of someone behind Hollypaw made her turn her head to see a black-pelted molly moving restlessly in her sleep. Some, however, were taking much longer to recover than expected from the shock of the deaths.

Ravenpool was there to see their dead, cut up bodies, and it had traumatised Hollypaw's poor mentor. It was a cruel sight no cat should have seen. If Ravenpool was traumatised as much as she was, Hollypaw could only imagine what Mapleheart and Dewscorch were going through as they were there to see what happened to their loved ones.

Now that she was awake, and she didn't have to dream the same dream she had been having almost her whole life — until night came again —, Hollypaw decided to ensure that the herbs were in their right places. They had a tendency to scatter everywhere with gusts of wind entering the fairly wide den.

Hollypaw walked up to a narrow passageway and walked through it. The other side revealed piles of plucked herbs and medicines scattered everywhere on the cold stone floor. With a sigh, she picked up some wild garlic that was mingling with the tansy pile and moved them over to where they were supposed to be. It was a process that took quite some time. One would think that it wouldn't be as bad since there was a narrow tunnel at the end of the den that led to the herbs, but the wind always had other plans.

Although it took Hollypaw awhile before she got everything back in order, the scattering was nowhere near as bad as the other day. Despite that, Hollypaw could see faint amounts of light seeping into the herb storage from a small hole at the top. She mentally told herself to plug the hole before she forgot again. There was an issue of critters getting inside and eating up the herbs. It likely contributed to the herbs flying everywhere, also.

Hollypaw walked through the narrow tunnel back into the main Herbalist den. Ravenpool was still asleep, so Hollypaw decided to make sure her mentor got as much as she needed while Hollypaw handled with another tough warrior complaining about a thorn barely prickling their fur.

Just then, she could hear pawsteps as they got closer to the Herbalist den. Hollypaw flicked her eyes towards the entrance to see who was approaching. A young ginger tom poked his head inside from the entrance, his bright green eyes lit with worry.

"I don't mean to intrude this late, but the dusk patrol encountered a fox near our borders with Birch Federation and the Moor Cat Territory!" he exclaimed aloud.

The sudden announcement must've woken up Ravenpool as the black molly Herbalist rose to her paws and she sat down in a sitting position. "Did you just say there was a fox attack?"

The ginger tom nodded his head vigorously, his large dark ginger ears flicking with urgency. "Yes! We were patrolling the southern border, and a fox attacked us while Darkfang and Tigerpool were arguing. I think Redtuft and Ashfur were injured badly."

Ravenpool turned her gaze to Hollypaw. "Go grab some oak leaves, cobwebs, and dandelion leaves! Scorchpaw," Ravenpool whipped her head back towards the ginger tom. "Once Hollypaw's done, take us to the patrol as fast as you can!"

Scorchpaw nodded, but hesitated momentarily. "I—...Just know that the patrol already chased it off, so they are trying to get here as fast as they can. I'll try to take you through the path they said they would travel as best as I can."

Hollypaw left Ravenpool and Scorchpaw to talk as she went to get the needed herbs. It was a good thing she had just cleaned up storage. She managed to grab some oak leaves, a cobwebs, and dandelion leaves and wrapped them in a large, smooth leaf. She made sure that she made a second batch just in case. Leaving the narrow tunnel with two bundles of herbs in her jaws, Hollypaw walked towards Scorchpaw and Ravenpool, who ordered the ginger tom to take them to the patrol as she took the two bundles of herbs from Hollypaw.

***

Hollypaw's fur was spiked with apprehension as the three Roots cats stalked past massive oak and spruce trees. She looked around attentively, looking for any signs of the patrol or the fox. Scorchpaw suddenly stopped, and he turned his head to face the two Herbalists.

"We are at the first destination," he announced. Hollypaw could tell that, despite his calm voice, Scorchpaw was very worried about his comrades. Hollypaw felt a hint of envy at how the ginger warrior-trainee could hold his fear back for the betterment of his comrades. Scorchpaw's eyes suddenly narrowed, garnering Hollypaw's further attention, as he continued. "I don't see, hear, or smell them nearby, though."

Hollypaw stared at some of the fern bushes that rested thickly between many trees. They weren't too far away from the camp. They would know if they were far away from the camp once the trees and undergrowth thinned out more...unless they were heading north.

Ravenpool beckoned for Scorchpaw to continue forward, and he nodded his head. As they continued forward, Hollypaw couldn't help but notice that Scorchpaw's fur glinted brightly with a fiery colour when under the moonlight that seeped from between the thick tree branches overhead.

It made Hollypaw wonder what her fur looked like under the moonlight, and she turned her attention towards Ravenpool. Ravenpool's fur looked more grey than anything else. Hollypaw looked back towards Scorchpaw, but he was suddenly not where he was.

"Looking for me?" A voice spoke, causing Hollypaw to jump in fright. She then hissed at Scorchpaw for scaring her like that, to which Scorchpaw apologised.

"I just couldn't help but notice that you've been more quiet than usual," he meowed sincerely. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

Hollypaw looked down, a thought in her mind as she contemplated telling Scorchpaw what had been troubling her. She looked into his green eyes, but there was only sincerity in them.

She took a breath as she looked away. "Today's the fourteenth-moon anniversary of their exile."

Scorchpaw nodded slowly. "I understand now. I won't question any further. You're probably going to get enough of those kinds of questions than needed."

Hollypaw blinked gratefully at Scorchpaw as he walked back to the front. There was something about him that she couldn't understand, but yet something she found happiness in. She had heard many stories of him always being the one to help out the other trainees, two of whom were older than him by a full moon. He was always there for others, especially for her and another warrior-trainee, Willowpaw. She was happy to consider him a friend, and she didn't consider others that lightly.

A sharp yowl broke out not far away, reminding Hollypaw of what they were out of camp to do, and she followed Ravenpool and Scorchpaw as they all ran towards the noise. Thin branches and bushes swatted at Hollypaw's as she felt the wind blowing against her face. She looked left and right to see if she could see the patrol from those directions, but she saw nothing.

Hollypaw then looked at Scorchpaw as she caught up with him, and his eyes were wide with fear. "They aren't along the trail!" he yowled with realisation.

Ravenpool ran ahead of the trainees as she indicated with her tail that she knew where they were. Hollypaw and Scorchpaw veered towards Ravenpool's direction. The forest started to get thicker, and it was also beginning to get darker as the branches of multiple trees covered the sky. Jumping over fallen logs and exposed roots, and squeezing through a narrow bush tunnel, Ravenpool finally came to a stop and Hollypaw and Scorchpaw stopped beside her flanks.

Hollypaw gasped as she saw five pairs of eyes stare at her and the others; four barely visible feline figures stood over two near-limp bodies. Hollypaw instinctively rushed over to the bodies to see if they were still alive. She instantly recognised Redtuft and Ashfur. Redtuft's breathing was shallower, and her white fur was almost completely matted with blood. Hollypaw couldn't tell how much of it was hers.

Ravenpool stepped beside Hollypaw, dropping the two herb bundles between them and ordering the two younger cats of the patrol to step aside. The two cats gave each other concerned glances as they obliged.

Hollypaw quickly went to work on Ashfur. She could smell blood on him, and she managed to locate where the fox had bitten down on his back, despite the darkness of night covering the forest. She immediately grabbed the oak leaves and started to chew them into a poultice. She carefully placed the poultice down onto Ashfur's wounds. He made a sudden jerk motion, but quickly relaxed. She then grabbed the cobwebs and placed them down carefully — as to not disturb Ashfur and the poultice.

A brown-pelted molly with darker brown stripes and amber eyes stepped beside Hollypaw with a worried stare. "Is he going to be okay?" She questioned with faint distress.

"He will," Hollypaw reassured. "Ashfur only has a bite mark on his back, and it doesn't seem like the fox bit down hard."

Ravenpool shook her head slowly, which caught Hollypaw's attention. "The same can't be said for Redtuft," Ravenpool harrowingly admitted as she looked at the patrol with fear. "I can't tell what is a wound, or whose blood is whose..."

"What happened exactly?" Hollypaw dared to ask.

The question brought anxious glances to and from the patrol members. A white molly, whose pelt was hardly noticeable with all the darkness, stepped up with a bitter expression emanating from her green eyes. "Darkfang had started provoking Oceanpaw, and Appleleaf and I had told him to stop before he attracts trouble."

Another pair of green eyes flashed towards the white molly with nothing but pure anger, and Hollypaw realised that it was Darkfang. She hadn't even noticed the black tom.

"That's not exactly how it went, Mintleaf," Darkfang spat before looking at Ravenpool. "Oceanpaw had marked some of the Moor Cat's territory as ours, and I was telling him off for it. The Territory of the Moor Cats is an important, long-time ally of ours, Ravenpool. We can't afford to lose their allegiance and the Birch Federation's prey trade support. Not during a climate of tension and continuous warfare with the Rippling Lake and Dusk Hollow."

Ravenpool glared at Mintleaf. "You seriously argued with Darkfang about that? If I'm being honest, it was you and Appleleaf who started this. Darkfang's right that we can't afford to make mistakes like that. Darkfang, you take the trainees back to camp and let Echostar know of what happened. Now, the rest of you are going to be responsible with transporting Redtuft and Ashfur back to camp! Do not drop them or let them go!"

No-one argued with her as Darkfang walked off and ordered the trainees to follow him. Scorchpaw made one last glance at Redtuft and Ashfur, and then to Hollypaw and Ravenpool, before padding away with the other trainees.

***

The sun had already begun to rise as the cats made it back to the Roots' camp. Hollypaw felt incredibly happy to see the light again, even if it was a little dim. It was going to help in finding Redtuft's wounds better, and it wasn't pitch-black dark. Hollypaw let the rest of the cats go ahead as she decided to take a breather.

She looked up towards the Commander's Den, which was a cavern that rested on top of a secluded area. The entrance to it was hardly visible due to a jagged stone overhang. Out of it appeared Darkfang and a grey-and-white molly who showed signs of aging. The two talked back and forth a few times until the molly walked back inside the den, and Darkfang walked down a narrow path that led back down to the camp surface.

Darkfang's eyes briefly met Hollypaw's, and all she could see was disgust and hatred in them. The dark tom turned his attention to a grey-pelted molly who met with him at the bottom of the Commander's Path. The two chatted for a bit, and they stalked away together towards a corner where a tree rested near a den.

"Is that badger-brain still looking at you like that?" A molly's voice suddenly spoke from behind Hollypaw. Hollypaw turned around to see Tigerpool and Mintleaf.

Mintleaf was clearly annoyed as she twitched her tail back and forth ever-so slightly, but her eyes were rounded with worry as she looked at Hollypaw. "I hope he hasn't been as much trouble for you as he has been on patrols."

Hollypaw shook her head a little. "No, he hasn't. But didn't he point out that he was just getting on Oceanpaw's case for marking the Moor Cat's territory?"

Hollypaw knew better than to ask the question, especially in the presence of two warriors who were much older than her, one of whom was older than Darkfang himself. But her curiosity got the better of her. She wanted to know what really happened. Ravenpool hadn't let Mintleaf and Appleleaf continue, and neither did Darkfang. She didn't trust Darkfang's accord one bit.

Tigerpool merely twitched her ears while Mintleaf spoke.
"He claims Oceanpaw did so, but Oceanpaw was telling him he didn't. Appleleaf scented the area and there was no trace of our scent on the Moor Cats' territory. Not even a mouse ear. It was marked just as it was supposed to."

"And that's when you confronted Darkfang." Hollypaw added.

Mintleaf nodded. "Yes. I love Ravenpool, and I respect her line of duty with all of my heart. She has been taking exemplary care of the Roots Territory ever since Brackenleaf passed all those moons ago," Mintleaf momentarily stopped as her eyes glistened slightly at the mention of the long-dead former Herbalist. "But her saying that Appleleaf and I were responsible for the fox attack was uncalled for. We were just defending Oceanpaw and calling out Darkfang. It wasn't until he started getting aggressive with us and Oceanpaw that the fox appeared and ambushed Redtuft. If it weren't for Ashfur's quick thinking, Redtuft would have been dead. And so would have he."

Tigerpool rested her tail on the white molly's shoulder to calm her, continuing in Mintleaf's place. "I'm certain that Echostar will ask for an audience, and Appleleaf, Scorchpaw, Willowpaw, and Oceanpaw will come forward with the truth. Darkfang may have been able to lie to Ravenpool in the moment, especially when her main concern was to Redtuft and Ashfur, but he couldn't possibly lie to Echostar with the worst over for now."

Mintleaf nodded slowly, but her eyes still conveyed her uncertainty. "Echostar wouldn't do anything to you," Hollypaw reassured. "She would hear you out. You are part of her bloodline, after all."

Mintleaf blinked gratefully at Hollypaw, but it was clear that Mintleaf still had some concerns. But before Hollypaw could say anything else, she heard Ravenpool calling her name. Hollyheart swiftly said her farewell and bounded over towards the Herbalist den. As she entered the cave, she could see Redtuft and Ashfur laid out on the stone ground with many patches of cobwebs all over them.

"About time you arrived," Ravenpool hissed. "I could have used your help with all of this earlier."

Hollypaw flashed an angered glare at Ravenpool. "Hey! I get that you are stressed, but don't take it out on me! You aren't the only one here who has been under serious pressure these past four moons! And unlike you, I was actually figuring what really happened, rather than taking Darkfang's word without question."

Ravenpool muttered something close to "not having time for this" and turned her attention back to Redtuft, whose breathing had eased out a bit more and wasn't as shallow. Hollypaw made sure that Ashfur wasn't being neglected and replaced any pieces of cobwebs that were sticking up, or weren't sticking right. Ashfur stirred slightly, and his eyelids opened up as two amber eyes looked at her.

"I take it I'm not with the Swirling Stars yet." The dark grey tom meowed half-heartedly, with a tint of pain.

"Welcome to the Rotting Forest, Ashfur." Hollypaw purred humourously.

Ashfur's eyes fell on Redtuft, and he went silent for a moment. "Is she doing okay?..." He finally spoke.

"About as well as one can be after a fox attack," Ravenpool meowed as she placed one last cobweb on Redtuft's wounds. She then looked at the now awake warrior. "How about you? Are you feeling any good?"

Ashfur seemed to think about the question as to decide on how to best respond. "About as well as I can be after a fox attack." He finally responded.

Ravenpool ordered Hollypaw to go grab one poppy seed for Ashfur, and Hollypaw scurried off towards the herb storage. Hollypaw walked to the pile of poppy seeds that rested in a far corner and got hold of one as requested. Hollypaw felt herself pause before she could turn around.

All sorts of questions began to fill her mind. She knew the duties of a Herbalist were going to be stressful and hard, but she only chose it because she didn't want to face the scrutiny of the other warriors. She didn't want to face her past, but, with how Ravenpool had been behaving since Mapleheart's kits' and Sootclaw's deaths, she couldn't stand being a Herbalist anymore. She was now nothing more than Ravenpool's emotional relief for when she just needed something to yell at.

I'm surprised she didn't even go on a tangent this time, she admitted to herself.

"Hollypaw! Get the poppy seed! The poppy seed!"

Hollypaw pulled her ears back as she held her tongue before she said something she would regret. Ravenpool did have a point that Ashfur and Redtuft's lives were important. They weren't any less important than anything else right now. This wasn't a time for Hollypaw to overthink things. Pulling herself back to the real world, Hollypaw turned around and left the herb storage with two extra poppy seeds just in case.

{______________}

What do you all think of the story so far?

So far, for me, I think it is a huge step-up compared to the original first chapter. The characters feel more alive, and they actually have a thought process. Although it is still quite a bit of dialogue, there are also a lot of moments where the main character actually thinks about their situation and what their surroundings are like. I much prefer this over the original chapter. There are certainly flaws that I hope to patch later on, though.

I sincerely appreciate those who have read the chapter in all of its entirety (especially as it is 3,000 words long!). Thank you all for reading this chapter, and I wish you all an excellent day! Now, it is time for questions!

What were some things you found interesting and intriguing?
What was your favourite thing about this chapter?
Any least favourite things?

(17 September, 2022) - first version
(29 October, 2023) - mild edits + layout edit