𝚂𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚜 || 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚜 #1

Chapter Four

Hailwatcher noses through his herb stores, taking note of his current inventory and making room for new plants.

His piles of chervil, oak leaf, and poppies run low; the latter due to Newtstripe's now-common habit of stopping by for a dose of poppy seeds for his mate's nightmares.

Though not entirely aware of what 'situations' a lot of poppy seeds in a Clan could cause, Hailwatcher now regrets not asking his mentor about it.

He assumes the mentioned 'situations' have something to do with poppies' euphoric effect on a cat's mind, and leaves it at that.

Resting his special herb bundle on the herb shelf, Hailwatcher slips through the entrance of the medicine den and pads off toward Willowstar's den.

The den itself is simply hollow space between the roots of a large pine tree, but the ordeal of approaching a leader's private space seems overblown with pomp and circumstance, at least to Hailwatcher.

The small gray tom carefully peers into the den from a short distance, noticing Willowstar but quickly realizing something isn't right.

The ShadowClan leader looks uncharacteristically disheveled; patches of his dusky brown fur stick up in all directions, a wild, panicked look glimmers in his eyes, and Hailwatcher can hear his heavy breathing.

Quickly realizing the reasons for everyone's caution and now debating whether or not to bother his leader, Hailwatcher decides to err on the side of caution and inform him anyways.

"...Willowstar?"

A rustling noise begins to echo out from the den as Willowstar moves himself into an obscured corner out of Hailwatcher's sight.

A moment later, the ShadowClan leader emerges, appearing more normal and very different than just a few heartbeats prior.

A few patches of ruffled fur and a glimmer of uncertainty in his eyes still lingers, though Willowstar seems to have adjusted his demeanor.

"Ah- hello there, Hailwatcher- do you need something?" mews the ShadowClan leader, plastering on artificial positivity.

Hailwatcher straightens, suddenly feeling self-conscious about the bits of leaf in his own fur.

"Not really, actually....but I wanted to make sure I told you that I'll be going on an herb-gathering patrol today..."

Willowstar appears to light up at this prospect, ears twitching attentively.

"I see. Would you like me to send some cats with you?"

Stifling a pang of irritation, the small gray tom takes a moment to actually consider options for a companion.

Slightclaw, out on a hunting patrol, is out of the question by default, and so are Fallowpaw and Acornpaw because of Raggedfoot's overarching hostility.

Birchstorm, a senior warrior with a relatively good heart, is still out after leaving to get something for his mate.

The rest of the warriors, from what Hailwatcher can tell by how they look at him, hold an opinion ranging from to finding him deserving of cordial disregard to, more candidly, finding him annoying.

Having gotten a bit sidetracked, Hailwatcher reminds himself of the question and tries to formulate an answer.

"Um..I- I don't think I'll need a patrol, but- thanks for asking.."

Willowstar nods, clearing his throat rather loudly.

"Well then, I'd recommend you get going so you'll have plenty of time to find what you need."