Things happened. The meeting went by and someone got to mentor the new Skykit. The more he thought about it, the more he deemed the entire aura of the camp to be rather unnerving. There was a threat that most of the cats seemed to know of. Deaths. Quite a few. More than the usual brutal life of a clancat, at least. And despite this, things went by as they had done before. Meetings about cats coming of the right age, announcements of duties and the ever-passing days of silence in the glazed hopeless plains of the valley. It nerved him knowing that such little was being said. To him, issues left unchecked stirred the pot for great misconduct. He also understood the sentiment of ensuring there was no panic, but what calmness could there be without reassurance? Branchfall had so much to ask about it, but no one to really say it to. It wasn't his concern to most of them. A dead sister in the wake of it all, but why would they care if he'd not seen or been loved by her in moons?

Everything was a mess. He knew it from his now uncontained box of the clan. Seeing other sides made him worry greatly. And when Silverflight, StarClan bless her, gave out the duties for the day, he felt himself swept away with minor worry. BirchClan. Of course. It wasn't a vendetta or anything, he hoped. At least, it would've been awful for someone like Silverflight to have any sort of grudge against him. They hadn't spoken too much, even though he hoped to do so, and so he barely had an understanding on how she perceived him. Was he that traitor and easily manipulated tom the others saw or was he an integrated fragment of the greater clan.

"Come on then, he nudged Flamepelt lightly; his eyes suddenly caught and trailed behind Rainstripe's silent beckoning, "We should get going. And here I was hoping for a day of hunting..." As he prepared to walk, he stretched himself across the clearing and let out a little yawn, drying his temper to something more professional. He nodded kindly to Dawnstep in the hopes of a positive response and left to trail closely behind Rainstripe.

At first, he didn't really pay much attention to the third member of the party. Rainstripe was something special, though. A cat without the ability to hear. Must've been torture, he would think, but she seemed to cope in her own little ways. Reading mouths and thoughts gave her this little interpretation of life that he would never quite understand. It wasn't that she could articulate it by words anyway. But their time together as training apprentices at least got him more used to it all. Dwelling upon those days gave him a slight rush of melancholy, bleeding his focus into harsh realities. Had he been happy during those days? Maybe not. Maybe so. He couldn't quite read his own emotions as well as he used to. That clarity of right and wrong had faded whilst the opaque nature of his mind never demisted itself.

Rainstripe, huh? As Branchfall usually did, he began speaking to himself in his muse. She was quite difficult to read at times. Some of the others seemed more fluent in her way of communication but Branch had never quite mastered it himself. She was a soft, crystal white snowcat with the fur of a leaf-bare survivor. Quite pretty too, but then again which she cat wasn't at that point. Branch didn't fixate too much on anything other than getting the job done, which he then began to talk to himself about. Birchclan. Home. It wasn't less than a stroke of irritancy. The closer he was to those he loved the more it hurt to see them pass, and if they'd recognise him. He hated that last part. It should be something invigorating, a sense of pride of escaping what he thought was the corrupt lands of the valley, but instead he felt that shame, much alike a low hanging fruit. Sighing, he moved on. Sticking close to Rainstripe, at least he thought he wasn't too close, he circled around to her front. He presumed she couldn't read his mouth if he was out of her view staring at her.

"Nice to see you again, Rainstripe." If she could hear his tone, she'd have likely seen his discomfort or discouragement in the day's events. Well, perhaps his emotions would've shown it enough, but he still tried to gather himself to be kind to her. "Glad you get to work with me - and Flamestripe too...yeah."

The little apprentice sighed heavily as she watched her leader and mentor slip into the den. That meant it was going to be a longer talk. Eelpond always seemed to act a little different with the leader but she wasn't sure if it was because Shadestar was the leader or if it was something else. None the less the little calico laid there bored as she watched the warriors and other apprentices going out hunting or training or paroling. Crossing her paws some she looked to the Fresh kill pile and tilted her head some. Maybe she could get something for her and Eelpond to share before going to the Moonstone.

Purring at the idea she got to her feet and trotted over to the pile though her eyes glanced to Shadestars den. Not seeing her mentor come out she sighed and looked down at the choices the pile had. There were several things and she picked up a fish that would feed both her and her mentor. Picking it up was a bit of a struggle so she pawed it carefully from the pile and worked to get her mouth around it so she could carry it back outside the den to wait for Eelpond to come back. They'd have to leave soon to get to the Moonstone. He'd said it'd take all day to get there.

Though Eelpond wasn’t so sure he believed the other tom, either, the attempt at reassurance was appreciated all the same, and he couldn’t help but perk his ears up ever so slightly and twitch his whiskers at him in thanks. “Yeah. We can only try, right?” he agreed, trying to remain optimistic. He didn’t have the heart to try and argue against Shadestar’s point, in fact if anything he needed that sort of blind optimism now more than ever, so he took it on the chin, purring softly as the other tom’s nose touched his forehead. “I will, you know that. I’m always careful. Tinypaw and I will be fine.” he closed his eyes for a brief moment, desperately wishing he could stay there with Shadestar for a little while longer, curl up beside him for a moment or two and just forget any of this bad stuff was ever happening. But he knew he couldn’t, so however reluctantly, he drew back from the dark-furred tom, pushing his head under his chin briefly in thanks before he turned back towards the den entrance. “I have to go, it’ll take us most of the day to get there and I want to leave Tinypaw enough time to not feel so rushed. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

Not wanting to delay the trip too much longer, he leapt back down and slid across the camp to re-join his apprentice in their den once more. “Oh. Did you drag that here all by yourself?” he asked, his ears coming forward in surprise. “Nice job, Tinypaw. Let’s eat up, we’ll have to get going soon, it’s a long way to walk. We should have plenty of time to make some stops to rest if you get too tired, though.” he promised, tail swishing absently from side to side. “You’ll get used to the trip eventually and we’ll be able to cover the ground faster then, but don’t feel too bad if you need to take it slowly for now, I can keep pace with you and I won’t be angry if you ask me to wait for you for a bit. Okay?”

Tinypaw waited for her mentor at the mouth of the den with the fish in front of her. It was nearly half her size and weight, though considering she did look like a four moon old kit that wasn't surprising. When Eelpond came over she perked up and nodded at his question. "Yes, I thought you'd want us to eat before leaving and since you were busy I brought it over so we could share it." She said and purred at the praise. Looking to him she nodded some and puffed up her chest. "I'm ready for it, Eelpond. I won't make us late or anything!" She was determined not to not slow them down to much but this was her first trip there so of course she was going to be tired. At the question she nodded in understanding. "Okay, but I will try to not rest to often."

Leaning down she'd take a bite of fish and chew it. She would wait for Eelpond to come eat before she'd take another bite. Luckily for him she was small and her appetite wasn't huge so they would both get a good meal from the one fish. Once done she'd lick her whiskers clean then use her paw to clean her face. "Will we eat traveling herbs as well?" She'd ask her mentor. The herbs were meant to give them energy and strength for the long trip to the Moonstone though she knew they were bitter and awful tasting so she wasn't looking forward to them.

@LetMeDoStuff@skitts

---

When Rainstripe followed Flamepelt and Branchfall, the three warriors walk into the forest and start their patrol. Branchfall have always been a shy tom ever since they were apprentices, while the clan have always have suspicions toward him, Rainstripe have treated Branchfall like he was one of her clanmates and if the clan will be suspicions toward her, so beat it, Rainstripe will always be loyal to her clanmates. Rainstripe trains of thoughts have stop when Branchfall step close to her and mouthed that it nice to see her again and glad she get to work with him, Rainstripe smile at the shy tom and nod her head at him and at Flamepelt, basically saying she is glad too.

While the three warriors are patrolling, Rainstripe is admiring the scenery of the forest and feeling the sun on her fur. It has been awhile since she went patrolling, it feel nice to be outside of camp again.

The medicine cat let out a little grateful purr of his own as he settled down on the other side of the fish, tucking his front paws against his chest for now so that he could lean down and bite into the prey, falling quiet for the moment as both cats focused on filling their bellies. Eelpond especially knew that they would need to eat well, they’d need their strength for the journey to the Moonpool. He’d done the trip so many times that admittedly, Eelpond hadn’t really thought about using travelling herbs, he hadn’t needed them for quite some time now. But he could see how they might help Tinypaw, so, after he had swallowed the next mouthful, he sat back slightly, swiped his tongue around his whiskers and nodded.

Eelpond flicked his tail as he looked back towards their den, then the calico she-cat, and dipped his head again. “Yeah, I think some travelling herbs would be helpful, don’t you? Do you remember how to make them up?” he didn’t think that she would have done so already, they didn’t have the time before the apprentice ceremony, so Eelpond figured now was as good a time as any to fit in another lesson and teach Tinypaw how to put together the herb wraps. “Finish up with that fish and join me back in the den, I’ll go and start laying everything out so I can show you.”

The little apprentice smiled happily as she ate. When Eelpond sat up she blinked and licked her whiskers. As he spoke she nodded some. She did think traveling herbs would be a good to have. "Well it is a long way to travel so I would think so." She said but paused and thought a moment before she shook her head. Tinypaw didn't think they'd had reason to make any since she'd become an apprentice so she hadn't learned them yet. Of course it hadn't even been a full moon since she'd been given her apprentice name so there was time to learn. Smiling again she nodded before leaning down and licking up the last few flakes of fish.

Once done she quickly groomed before trotting back into their den. "I think daisy leafs are in traveling herbs." She announced once she came into the den. It had taken her time to think it over but she did remember that since one day they'd picked some and Eelpond had told her that they were used to ease pain in joints and given to traveling cats. Sitting down in front of the spot he had the herbs lined up she'd wait excitedly for him to show her how to make the traveling bundle of herbs.

When Tinypaw agreed that she thought the travelling herbs would be a good idea, the older tom nodded gently and left her to finish up the rest of the fish he’d left, getting to his paws and padding into the den to go to the herb store. As he waited for the little calico to join him once more, Eelpond’s paws moved through each crevice with practised ease to select out piles of herbs he knew they would need for the mixture, he’d been a medicine cat for long enough now to know them off by heart. Tinypaw would get there too, one day, with his guidance. He set each pile of leaves out in front of him and waited patiently for the she-cat to return to the den.

When she did, he waved her across with his tail, beaming proudly as she already managed to recall one of the plants without him so much as prompting her. “Yes, exactly! Daisy leaves are one of the ingredients, well remembered!” he purred proudly, flicking his tail to indicate the other herbs he had laid out before them. “But that’s only one of the herbs needed to make what the Clan calls “travelling herbs”. There are three others that are mixed together with the daisy leaves that help to give cats who make long journeys strength, and to fill their bellies so they don’t feel hungry as quickly, which means that they can cover more ground for a journey like the Moonpool without worrying about hunting on another Clan’s territory, which would be against the Warrior Code. Now, do you recognise the names of any of the others, if you have a look at them here?” he would, of course, tell her if she didn’t, but a quick test to see if she did remember any wouldn’t do them any harm.

It was a glorious day, at least. That was where the positives tended to end. Things along the borders were always quite iffy. Anything could happen. The next big war could be snowballed from a border incident, and most of them were. They were walls in which the clans were divided, entities of harsh justice that ensured there'd always be a contest to be had. Though, it wasn't an imperfect system. The clans could define their hunting grounds and could adapt to their own parts of the valley, differentiating them and creating an identity amongst the wild. A sense of order, contained in a small plot of land that rivalled the others. Those were the things to be glad of. Time and time again, Branchfall had wondered how life on the free market of preservation played out. Relying only on themselves was a hasty job, especially in the presence of four great clans and the dangers the valley had to offer. He pictured the rogues and the loners as being amongst the most headstrong and capable cats across the land, held back only by their stubbornness and lack of social wit.

The perspective of borders was all too different from a cat who'd been on two sides of it. He'd seen one world and transitioned to another. That was a jarring experience. Life was different. The food was different. And whilst they all shared a conglomerate of ideas, religious beliefs and the all-encompassing Warrior Code, they were divided by a cultural significance and the great divider: thought. Branchfall had his own ideals pressed together into an ugly mess. And patrols like theirs were only the sharp reminders of the messes that had been made. The manifestations of an old world compared to the new; life before and the death of an old family member. He just hoped to StarClan that he wouldn't run into the cats he knew best. Whether they were family or just old friends, it was the last thing he needed.

Because of this, Branch came across as rather hasty. He was at the front of the group, checking everything and sniffing around as if he were in a rush. At the least, he tried to be thorough but couldn't hold himself up to the standards of a careful and detailed patroller. The first fifty heartbeats seemed to go off quite nicely. There wasn't an issue nor anything more than the faint scents of old reports. The roughened familiarity of a wild creature that skirted their territory was barely noticeable anymore, and so Branch breathed easily knowing that it wasn't anything cumbersome. Eventually, he grew tired of the silence between the three. It was deafening, getting in the way of his anxiety. The last thing he wanted was to silently stumble into a BirchClan patrol in the dead of morn.

"Hey, Flamepelt," he began in a mumble, "can you just start talking about something? Anything at all? New rumours, news or things of interest? I'd really appreciate it."

Mentions: @Ambra
Silverflight watched the patrols begin to disappear from the camp and follow out her given orders for the early part of the day. She let her eyes continue to trail lazily around camp as the daily routines began to pick up speed. Several of the other warriors who had been up earlier were settling down to rest and share tongues or find some other way to make themselves useful around camp. She already began planning out the evening patrols in her head, giving Tinypaw a nod as the apprentice pulled something from the pile for herself and presumably Eelpond. The sun had burned off the mist that hung across the camp and now there was a warm glow cast across the camp and warming her pelt. She closed her eyes briefly and allowed the warmth to scare away the lingering doubts and darker thoughts that plagued the valley.

She saw Eelpond slip from Shadestar's den and head back to the medicine cat den. Hopefully the two medicine cats would get something from Starclan. They had been uncomfortably silent given the terrible things that had stricken each and every clan. She watched Shadestar follow shortly after Eelpond, a contemplative look on his face slipping into worry. She hoped their leader wasn't taking too much onto his own shoulders with the killings. Starclan knew he couldn't do more than he already was. She hoped that the naming of a new apprentice and the show of clan unity would drive away at least some of his concerns.

"Morning Shadestar," she meowed as he approached, "Everything alright with the journey to Moonbrook?" Tensions were high and if there was something that might prevent them from communing with Starclan things would only get worse. "Nothing more we need to concern ourselves with I hope."


Mentions: @skitts
Nightpaw nodded at Dawnpelt's suggestion, "Sounds good to me," he trotted behind her and Froststorm as they began to head out of camp; shaking the water droplets off of his pelt as they dripped off the reeds, "If Irisstar decides to start something it would be good for us to be nearby." He kept his ears pricked as they padded past the quiet bubbling of the streams that weaved their way into the nearby lake. He saw a faint flash of scales underneath the water, but he didn't leap after it. If they were going to be out for some time he'd rather keep his paws dry of the cold water. Maybe he'd try to catch fish on the way back if they were still swimming about. The thought of getting mud caked in between his toes wasn't the most pleasing, but he wouldn't pass up the opportunity for their return journey.

"Are we allowed to hunt on our way to the Oak Dens?" he asked towards Dawnpelt.

He hoped to hear the quiet scuffle of small paws on the dirt or the ruffle of feathers indicating birds pecking around for seeds on the ground, but the nearby area was fairly silent. The slowly rising sun warmed his dark pelt and would hopefully lure the underground dwelling critters out into the light. He could feel the uncertain tension that ran through camp and tried to not let it get to him too much, but when the older warriors were nervous it made it difficult not to feel the same. He shook his head to clear out the thoughts and focus on what they were doing. The clan needed food and there was no way that they were going to come back empty pawed.

When Eelpond praised her the little calico smiled brightly and sat a little taller with pride. When he asked her to name the other herbs that went in the bundles she looked at them and tilted her head thinking. She'd seen all of the leaves before but there were so many she still sometimes forgot what they all were. In time she would get it of course. Her ears went back some as she focused and reaching out to one she tapped it. "This one is burnet. It's used for... strength?" She glanced at her mentor to make sure she was right before moving to the next herb.

This one she wasn't as sure. "I think this is chamomile." she said before looking to the last herb this one stumped her and she snuffed at it before she sat up with a small frown. "I can't remember that one." She admitted to him and looked up at her mentor. Trying to remember all the herbs and what they did was difficult but she was trying. She'd only been an apprentice about a moon so she still have time to learn everything.

The medicine cat waited patiently to give Tinypaw time to think things over without being rushed. When she spoke, his ears came forward curiously and he let out a quiet chuckle. Three out of four with a little mistake, that was quite impressive for being his apprentice for scarcely a moon. “Almost! You’re right about the burnet, and you got the name right for the chamomile, but you got them mixed up.” he shifted his paw to point out the plant that she had, his voice still as patient as always as he corrected her gently, “This one that you pointed to is the sorrel, and the one you weren’t sure of is actually the chamomile. But you nearly knew them all, so good job!” he praised, wanting to make it clear that he was proud of her for what she did remember.

Eelpond’s paws moved with ease, but at a slowed pace to allow his apprentice to follow what he was doing and hopefully pick up on the technique for splitting the correct amounts of each of the four herbs and wrapping them up into a parcel. He made only one, intending to ask Tinypaw to make up his, for practise. “So, we wrap them all up together like this, burnet and chamomile for strength, daisy leaves to stop joint ache, and sorrel for making you feel less hungry. Sometimes, we can add a fifth herb called ragwort, for extra energy and strength on top of the others, but we don’t have any ragwort right now, so we’ll have to make do with the usual, uh...classics, as we call them.” he chuckled slightly at the sort-of joke, though it probably wasn’t all that funny, and nudged the bundle of herbs towards the young calico once he’d pulled it tight with his teeth so it would stay together. “Just like...that. There~! You want to have a go at wrapping mine for me?”

As requested, Flamepelt delivered a sudden diversion in conversation. It was...an interesting thought process. He pondered over the concepts of Starclan, something rarely discussed between warriors, at least from Branch's observations. Most cats seemed to accept that it was the medicine cat's privilege to see and bear witness to the holy imagery that was their ultimate goal. Questioning or imagining how that experience was never crossed their minds; for perhaps, they decided future was rested in compliance in order to maximise their effectiveness. Curious cats weren't a detriment to the clan, of course, but they still could use that time for more important matters. Flamepelt's curiosity was an intrinsic fascination, something that captured Branchfall's attention easily. His ability to just talk like that, so naturally, was honestly a small spot of jealousy for Branch. It was seamless, immediate and not the slightest bit disinteresting. Though, a social butterfly like him couldn't exactly mess up as something as simple as 'starting a conversation'.

As he went over to communicate his questions to Rainstripe, it gave Branchfall a moment to think over what had been proposed. Starclan, that almighty collective that had the valley in its paws, barely communicated with the common cat. All they had to go off was the word of the medicine cat and their stories. Other than that, their only experience would be in death. Some cats had embraced the chances of death with a welcomed embrace. For the good cats, they were ready to pass their souls off whenever that painful day came forward. Branchfall, on the other hand, was absolutely terrified of his passing. Would it come today, or tomorrow? Inquiries like those haunted him at night and during the day. Any patrol could be his last, and with the uprising of murders, who knew if he was the next target. How would he defend himself? Would his training be enough? Had it ever been enough for the cats who'd already died? For Starclan's sake, things had taken a turn for the worst. His heartrate accelerated, and not in the way when he saw another attractive clanmember, the kind of way that made him fear for his life. Was Starclan even enough for him? Maybe the more important question, was he enough for Starclan? Would they accept someone so dishevelled and disenfranchised as himself? He doubted himself more than any of his clanmates doubted him. Perhaps that's why he felt so hurt all the time.

"Oh, Starclan? An old idol of mine used to talk about her experiences with them a lot." He began with a cold reminder of Birchclan. It always came back to it, didn't it? Every single time. He couldn't escape them, even in passing conversation. It made him feel as if he were searching for excuses just to talk about them, when he really didn't want to. "Beautiful landscapes, celestial cats; everything we could dream of, but better. I guess it's right for it not to be known or understood, therefore we can appreciate it as the ultimate gift for when our time comes."

But Branchfall didn't want that time to come. Why was it so hard to appreciate that life must come to and end at some point? Where he ended, another began. His demise was the birth of someone else's story. The empty seat he'd leave behind could become the throne of any other cat. That would be his sacrifice to the clan, valley and world. Fading into obscurity, nothing of value nor any importance to the future of the clancats. There was no incentive to make something from himself because he was one of many. History and the mythos of the valley remembered one in every thousand clancats that lived. He felt no need to chase the unobtainable. And yet, despite knowing this was his fate, he could not help but feel terrified over it all.

It was a scary end, even if there was certainty of a life after. Flamepelt had accidentally sent him down a path of existential misunderstanding, nihilism and scepticism, but no one would know or care about what went on in his mind. He was that background layer to the grand story. A statistic, perhaps, in a list of murders, deaths, battles and eras. The greatest gift he could've been given was a single day's vigil after he moved on to the other side, where the day after not a single cat would remember or utter his name ever again. That's how Branchfall truly felt, it seemed, and only then was he coming to realise that.

"Hopefully you'll all be in better positions of power, notoriety and idolisation when that time comes. I'll just be doing whatever, I guess." Hiding his insecurity with a light-hearted, satirical prod at his carelessness, he tried to covertly step around the problems with his mind. Knowing full well that Rainstripe couldn't hear him, he put on a fake smile and beamed at Flamepelt to crack another falsely positive comment. "You'll have a mate by then, all kits and a lineage to go off of. If you aren't the Leader yourself by then, either your mate or kits will become it. Better choose wisely, though."

Mates. Oh, starclan, why must he flood his mind with such troubling aspects of life? Mates were that next step, that settling of his life and loyalty, finding someone specifically to dedicate his soul to. Forget that, Branchfall thought, it'd take reciprocation for that to happen. He realised how downtrodden his mind had been that day, taking a moment to try and cleanse a new slate, a tabula rasa, and to cheer up.

Unfortunately, the day still had things in store for them. Along the beaten path of their border, colliding with Birchclan's territory, something had been left in waiting for their discovery. A small gathering beside one of the oldest trees on the border...

When Branchfall noticed it with his eyes, barely catching a whiff of the aftermath, he squinted to make out its purpose. Three or four cats, all clustered together, seemed to be dragging something away. Rather uncharacteristically, Branchfall was the first to step forward and approach the situation, forgetting who those cats belonged to. By the team he'd reached them, it was too late to back out. He came into full view of several cats, some of which he knew at first glance. Their unforgettable appearances, colourations and voices. The disdain for rushing forward, knowing he had something to prove to MistClan, had left him face to face with four cats: Addershine, Wolfheart, Amberdawn and...Reedcoat...

The siblings looked at each other with estranged stares. For a moment, the desperate reunification saw them immobile, simply surprised by the presence of their next of kin. A foul scent was in the air, the decaying whiff of a fallen cat. It would've sickened him if he'd noticed the horrific scent to begin with. Instead, his eyes were locked onto his sister's and she returned the gaze with an unsettled look in her iris. Her expression was blended with the foul nature of her own discovery, and the arrival of the grace-fallen Branch. He never saw the others who accompanied him arrive, even if they did just as quickly as he had. Before either Branchfall or Reedcoat could question why the other had arrived, Wolfheart was the first to assert his presence.

"Hey, back away! We don't need interference from the likes of MistClan cats!" At an instant, the tension in the air blistered their chance at an easy communication. Branchfall was swabbed out of his trance to meet the apprehensive Wolfheart, who hissed with such a vile introduction that the former cowered back a little. "Go on, keep on backing up."

Having full control of the situation right from the get-go, Branchfall was hesitant to apprehend and question the happenings. Yet, before he could ask anything, he was shown a horrifying sight. Behind them, cut and scarred all across their body, with what looked like a sliced open belly, was the remains of a clancat. The name slipped his mind at first, the sight alone had left him speechless. It was the first of many excruciating corpses he'd witnessed first-hand. At the expense of their life, from what looked like a brutal showcase of murder, he felt even more sick in his stomach. Could it be yet another-

"Ey, they're peeping. I'm going to take him back to the camp and let them know of the news, watch them." Adamant to continue his dominating presence over the situation, Wolfheart delivered several orders before taking the body by the neck and dragging him across the floor. It was just as he was about to disappear into the bushes with the disgusting mess of a tom where he remembered the victim's name: LakeTalon, or something like that. It wasn't one of the older ones, someone who was a few moons older than Branchfall was himself. He remembered him being someone of a loved figure, a spritely kit that was playful with everyone and everything, even at his own risk. To see such a life extinguished and left in a unholy mangle was far too hard to believe. That was part of the horror that life had in store for the cats, and one of the many reasons Branchfall had an unrelenting fear of when it'd happen to him, where he'd be alone and friendless, without family to watch him drift away.

Wolfheart had vanished and dragged the body back to the Birchclan camp. In his wake, the awkward and tense environment was left to them. Almost without so much hesitation, Reedcoat walked off to the side and beckoned for Branchfall to follow her. It was still within eye and earshot of the others, just off to the side. The two other cats, Addershine and Amberdawn, were left to deal with Rainstripe and Flamepelt. There wouldn't be much cooperation, unless they worked something out. Either way, BranchFall focused on his sister, who seemed withdrawn in talking to him.

"Hey...Reedcoat...how're you?" Even before the sister who had a crumb of trust and empathy for him, he was as submissive and pitiful in conversation as ever before. She gave him a pained stare, letting out a little sigh. Perhaps smalltalk was the best way to bridge the gap between them.

"I'm...okay? I guess that's the way to put it." She looked over to the rest of the group, two Birchclan cats facing down two Mistclan warriors, and waited for them to explode into argument. Faking her interest, at least to be courteous, she pointed her tail toward them. "Friends? She looks nice."

"Oh, Flamepelt is. I've mentioned...him to you before I think? Rainstripe is-...she's another one, I guess. She's nice." Silence. Oh, by Starclan's will, the horrifying hesitation between the two ached their hearts. How was talking to family so frustratingly difficult?

Such difficult circumstances had placed two family members on opposing borders, driven by different ideologies and goals. When those walls were broken down, they could talk like nothing divided them at all. Today, however, was not one of those days. Tragedy had struck Birchclan, and there was many emotional and frustrated eyes getting ready to point their claws at their biggest adversary. Birchclan outnumbered and overpowered Mistclan in size and strength, sometimes considered the most influential player in the valley's politics. The last thing they needed was a conflict, but the series of murders had left them eager to take the first claw to one another's throats.

"Branch," she said suddenly, notably not using his suffix, "what're you doing? What's the clan done?"

"Wait, what're you-"

"Branch, I just want to know you didn't do this." His horrified look seemed to give her the answer she needed, and she sighed heavily. As she sat against the grass, near the dried blood stains of the corpse, she wiped her face with frustration and a desire to relieve her stress. "Sorry...I know you couldn't do something like this, not even out of necessity. I'm just so worried. Everyone back at the clan is so suspicious of your clan that I can't help but just feel something's wrong."

So, Irisstar had just as many suspicions as the other clans had toward him. He was always a shady figure that seemed to tiptoe around the political scene with grace and prowess, with everyone unsure of what his next unpredictable move would be. If it were true that he were worried about the wellbeing of his clanmates, something which many found hard to believe because of his obscure personality, then things were worse than he'd imagined. Everyone was impossible to believe, but no one seemed guilty enough to lay the blame on. And with BirchClan taking several of the deaths themselves, the idea that it was a conspiracy against them wasn't hard to disbelieve.

Reedcoat looked around her, clearly on edge by what she and her patrol had found. A fellow clanmate, another one, dead and slaughtered for no discernible purpose. Things couldn't have been worse unless there were a swarm of bears descending on their territory.

"By Starclan...this is horrible. I think Violetbriar has stopped hearing from them, the rumours are spreading fast around our camp." She shot a quick gaze at Branchfall, realising that she'd gone off on a slight tangent of her own. Assertively, she put a paw forward and tightened her stare. "For the love of Starclan, Branch, please don't get involved in things like this. These...maleficent acts are unforgiveable by everyone."

"You take me for a tom capable of that?" Upset by her suspicions and lecture, he let out a light whimper. The last thing he needed was for the only family member who was willing to talk to him to abandon him out of fear. "I'm not the kind to commit such atrocities. You know that, right?"

"I don't know, Branch. You've fallen into a bad partnership before..." As soon as she reminded him of his mistakes, his turn-coating and potential manipulation, he felt a metaphysical claw strike at his heart. The pain and agony, the burden of his mistakes, had barraged the rift between them and created a plunging pit to an unsanitary abyss. He would've been offended if it weren't true. Instead, he felt himself wither away into sadness, looking down at the grass. She noticed his sudden change in heart and tried to backpedal her statement. "No, Branch I...didn't mean it like that. I-...I'm sorry. Just, forget it. You should probably go back and report this to your deputy or something. They'll need to know about this as soon as possible."

Without much hesitation, though still plastered with an expression of dismay and distress, he approached Flamepelt and Rainstripe quickly. In a slight huff, he shook his head at them and took a deep breath. He didn't know how they'd take him taking the orders of his sister so easily, even if it was the right thing to do in that moment. Branchfall hadn't noticed if the four remaining cats had exploded into an argument or began a civil discussion over who to blame, which seemed unlikely to him, but he interjected for just a second to let them know what he was doing.

"I'm going to report this to Silverflight immediately. Just keep an eye on this, then when you're ready back away and leave. Don't escalate things...please?" And with that final question, he disappeared in a rush back to the camp, not looking back at the bloodied stains of another victim's essence.