Caɾղaցe Ɱօօղ ~𝙰 𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝙵𝚊𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚌

33 🌙

Crescentpaw's eyes widened. "Did they leave without Starclan's will?" A breeze rolled across her back, cooling the warm fur atop her shoulders. While Hillflower rolled up her herb bundle the cats padded around a thorn bush and skirted a gorse thicket, heading for the Thunderclan camp.

"Yes," the medicine cat answered.

"Did they say why?"

"To preserve what was left of their clan," Sootface said knowledgeably. Crescentpaw's eyes were wide as she continued to listen. "Antlerstar crossed the top of our territory on his way out, saw a patrol and told them his clan was in ruins."

"Where did they go?" Oatkit asked for her. The kit's neck was bent at an angle to look up at them.

"He said they were going to try living at an ancient clan territory." Hillflower explained. "Somewhere the clans used to live that was eventually destroyed by Twolegs-except for Riverclan's old land."

I wonder if that ended up working.

Crescentpaw padded through some long sedge-grass stems and missed a trailing vine of ivy. It wrapped around her paws and tugged off of the tree from where it had overgrown and spilled onto the forest floor.

"I doubt they made it there," Jadestar commented. "But if they did they would've had to join Warriorclan or chase them out."

Sootface ducked to avoid the trailing ivy stems himself, while Crescentpaw kicked the same type of ones from around her legs.

"Who's Warriorclan?" Oatkit asked, climbing on top of his sister to be seen better.

"Now's not the time to explain it," Pepperpelt sighed. "I'll tell you later. Besides, they could just be an old clan myth."

While Oatkit and Cloverkit complained, Rainpaw spoke up. Her paws lifted high and stepped expertly, avoiding every trailing bramble stem or fallen twig that crossed her path.

"But some cats say that the Sisters are a myth. And they aren't, are they?"

Crescentpaw had heard tales of both. She'd listened to the run-down about where the clans used to live, and why they had left their previous territories- and other groups of cats they had come across before and during their time at the Lake.

"I know they aren't. We've met the sisters on our travels to the Moonpool; didn't we Jadestar?" Hillflower said. She glanced at the grey-and-tan Skyclan leader.

"Yes." Jadestar nodded. "My mother has seen them once as well. They're a timeless generation of she-cats, as old as the clans themselves it seems."

Crescentpaw looked ahead. The forest slope inclined beneath her paws. She descended the dip and then padded beside some spreading clumps of hogweed.

She was thinking about Thunderclan. If two entire clans have left or given up hope... does that mean the other clans should as well?

Then the she-cat felt a stir of resilience. Deep down she knew that Shadowclan and Thunderclan could be revived. It must have been done before. Especially if the clans have existed for as long as Jadestar says.

"You remember that one warrior that stayed behind, mother?" Rainpaw began conversing more than she ever had since Crescentpaw met her. "The one we found while we were hunting on Thunderclan's land early new-leaf, while the prey was still coming back."

All of a sudden Jadestar looked embarrassed. Her eyes glanced across at Crescentpaw as if remembering she were still there. She gave her daughter a stern look, licking her chest-fur.

"Er.. yes. His name was Trufflefur."

The she-cat's tone sounded heavily condescending, as if she didn't want this topic to be mentioned anymore. When Jadestar moved off again the rest of the cats followed behind her. Crescentpaw made sure to stay near the rear. She could smell prey-scents on the wind.

"Smells like he's been here, too." Sootface said after tapering off the trail and peering around a widespread hazel tree. It's topmost branches were bathed in golden sunlight. As they passed through an overgrown clearing among the forestry, Crescentpaw felt relieved. No more brambles snagging on my tail.

She approached behind Sootface and opened her mouth to taste the air. The golden-orange light spilling across their backs lit the edges of their fur with a brilliant glow. Crescentpaw's white patches weren't the brightest, however- covered with a thin layer of dust and pollen that she would have to clean off later on.

"Sundown is approaching rapidly. We should probably head for Thunderclan's camp rather than looking for him. It's safer there," the apprentice meowed with a concerned glance back at the unapprenticed kits.

"I agree," Pepperpelt meowed with concern.

Oatkit was waggling his haunches, preparing to jump on a ragged clump of weeds. His mother interrupted him, leading him closer to the clearing with a nudge. He pouted while following behind her.

"No need," a tom's voice rang out confidently. Crescentpaw swiveled her head around, confused. It sounded like it was coming from the treetops, not the ground.

"Up here," came the voice again. Jadestar and the other cats craned their necks, too- until Crescentpaw saw movement amongst the rough-edged bark of a towering elm tree.

The Thunderclan tom was crouched on a robust branch that jutted partway out into the glade. His belly was pressed against bark. He had something furry and grey pinned beneath a forepaw; presumably a squirrel.

With calm cobalt eyes blinking the tom waved his tail in a friendly manner.

"Oh- hey Trufflefur. We couldn't see you because your pelt is nearly the same color as-"

"Come down from there, Thunderclan warrior."
Jadestar interrupted her daughter and the blue-gray apprentice bashfully snapped her jaws shut.

"We have a few questions to ask you." Jadestar's tone was full of authority.

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Trufflefur