Lightningnose would have been surprised by Rushpaw's sudden onslaught of questions... that was, if she hadn't been used to him by now. A soft purr left her maw as she watched the gray and white tom go on and on. He certainly had a lot of things, that was for sure. She wondered how his mother was able to handle him. She gave Thistlefoot an almost thankful look before she padded after the lot of them towards the DuskClan border.
"Just because we're allied with BirchClan doesn't mean that DuskClan are our enemies, Rushpaw," she warned him as she flicked her tail towards the tom's mentor for emphasis.
Minnowstone nodded "That's right. The last thing we want is a war without having to have one," she replied. "Not to mention, there's only so much we know about DuskClan. How they don't get lost in those tunnels is beyond me..."
Lightningnose thought about it. It was pretty interesting how a group of cats could spend most of their days in tunnels. How weren't they blind like moles? She thought of this as they approached the DuskClan border, her tail waving behind her in excitement. DuskClan or no DuskClan, she always liked the sight and smell of pine trees. She tasted the air, and the smell of smooth stone and wild grass reached her nose. "Looks like DuskClan was just here marking their borders."
Lightningnose dipped her head in response to her leader. She was certain that Silverstar was able to handle her Clan herself, and, if not, she had other cats that would stand by her side. When they were dismissed and Hailshine practically bounded from the den, Lightningnose couldn’t help but let out a mrrow of amusement. Poor thing was practically a nervous wreck in front of their leader. It wasn’t like she was a crocodile that was going to eat them!
”See you around,” she bid farewell and padded out of the den. She hadn’t taken two pawsteps when she heard a booming voice come from the camp’s center.
“Lightningnose!” Pikeleap called and waved her over with his tail. Lightningnose faltered for a moment before she trotted over to the large tabby. “You’re on sunhigh patrol. The others are waiting for you.”
She averted her gaze to where Pikeleap’s tail twitched. She saw several cats near the camp’s entrance. “Got it!” she told him as she bolted towards the gathering. She approached them with a happy wave of her tail. “Where are we headed first?”
Minnowstone dipped her head towards her. “We were thinking the DuskClan border just to see what’s going on there.”
Lightningnose frowned at Hailshine's explanation. She wanted to do something to comfort the other she-cat, but she wasn't sure what. The sight they had come across was very gruesome indeed; she hoped that none of the apprentices were traumatized by such a sight. I'm going to have to check up on poor Frostpaw. I don't think he's seen anything like that before, she thought, finding herself thinking of the timid medicine cat apprentice. She hoped Dew-whisker was doing a good job at making him feel safe.
"Of course, Silverstar. I'm sure most of the Clan knows you want to keep us safe, but..." Her mind flashed back to Sparrowsplash and some of the other cats who were riled up to face off against DuskClan. "I'm afraid that not everyone does."
She wondered if there were any cats that would go against Silverstar's word. Silverstar was a kind leader who wasn't without the potential to punish those who went against her verdict, and Pikeleap's mere presence intimidated even the most boisterous of warriors, but that didn't stop cats from doing what they wanted out of sight. Lightningnose worried that this was the beginning of very dark times ahead. Without StarClan guiding them, who knew what would happen?
There was a disgruntled grumbling among the MistClan cats, and Lightningnose swore that there was going to be a squabble among them. That was the last thing they needed-- for their own Clanmates to be at each other's throats. Luckily for them, Pikeleap's outburst had silenced much of the angry growling and flattened many bristled pelts. She cast a sidelong glance at Sparrowsplash, who had averted his gaze respectfully, before she put her attention on Hailshine. Right. Hailshine had witnessed everything too. At least Dew-whisker and Frostpaw wouldn't be accused of lying just for keeping peace between the Clans...
Lightningnose perked up when she was called over by her leader. "Of course, Silverstar," she mewed, albeit a bit nervously. The pale-furred she-cat padded towards Silverstar's den, casting another sidelong, worried glance at Hailshine as they walked together. She didn't know what to expect from their conversation with Silverstar. Would it even solve anything?
She slipped into the den after the silvery she-cat, her yellow eyes blinking as she adjusted to the dim lighting. "Hello, Silverstar," Lightningnose greeted as if she hadn't just seen her a few heartbeats prior. She sat down in front of her, her tail neatly wrapped around her paws as she tried her best from seeming nervous. "There wasn't anything suspicious when we entered the DuskClan camp. Everyone was asleep, and Willowcloud and Lavenderpaw seemed just as shocked as we were when they saw Russetfern's body in the Moonbrook." She tipped her head to the side. "Now that I think of it, even Foxstar and some of the other DuskClan warriors look kind of frightened as well..."
Her tail flicked against Hailshine's flank. "You noticed that too, right?" she asked. "It's almost like the cats we saw had no idea it was there in the first place, even though it smelled really bad."
Ligntningnose wasn't sure what she expected when Silverstar called the Clan meeting. She sat near the front row, her ears pricked for anything that their leader declared. She was pleased to see Wolfheart good and well, but did she really agree with what BirchClan was doing? She sank her claws into the soft earth below her paws, her golden eyes glistening with worry as Silverstar spoke. So, they were going to side with BirchClan. What she said made sense, though; why in StarClan's name would they decide to attack cats that didn't have anything to do with Russetfern's death.
"Pfft. We all know that DuskClan cats can't be trusted at all!" Sparrowsplash yowled from beside her. "We should claw their ears off if they even set their paws close to our borders."
Lightningnose bristled and her tail lashed once. She wanted to say something to the hot-headed tom, but she knew that arguing about this whole thing was only going to cause conflict within her own Clan. She was more than pleased to see that Pikeleap's ears flattened against his head, his blue eyes narrowing down at the younger tom.
"What Silverstar says goes. And if any of you go against her word, I'll beat you senseless myself. Understood?" the large tabby growled.
Ashenpaw seemed to deflate at Silverstar's decision. She had to admit, there was some hope; they weren't willing to attack cats that didn't want to fight. But how would DuskClan know that? If they saw a bunch of angry cats suddenly invade, wouldn't it be within Foxstar's instinct to tell her warriors to protect their home? She fidgeted in her spot uncomfortably, somewhat nervous underneath the older warriors' gazes. It was a huge relief when the MistClan leader told Lightningnose and Reedmask to bring them back to the border. Finally, they were going home-- but that only meant that she had to go to ThornClan right after.
"Wait!" sounded an excited voice. Ashenpaw turned to see that Sedgepaw had bounded out from inside one of the dens and had run up to them. "Can I go with? I've been stuck in the elder's den the whole morning!"
Lightningnose let out a purr. "That's up to Reedmask and Wolfheart." She looked at Wolfheart with glittering eyes.
Ashenpaw followed her gaze. It would be nice to have someone their age along, at least for a little bit. "Please?" she meowed, her eyes filled with hope and excitement.
Skua didn't feel like getting the SeaWing assassins to fess up, either. Assassins were trained not to submit themselves to their capturers, right? So what made them think that a random SeaWing was going to tell them where their palace was? The assassin would probably die laughing if they even tried to make them fess up. Skua shook his head.
"Hidden underwater or not, I doubt that lot's going to tell us anything about where their Queen is. We might just have to rely on our own intuition to get us there," he growled. "Let's just try to get some food to in our bellies before anything else though."
They flew off to another platform where a bunch of RainWings gathered, apparently to get their breakfast. One of the RainWings was helping out with handing out fruit, and Skua was given a large, round, pinkish fruit with green spines. How did the RainWings survive off of just fruit? He was still hungry from last night...
Dreamseeker spoke to them once again once they all had their fruits and were resting underneath the shade of a tree. "We could see if we can find another SeaWing that isn't an assassin. If we fly around the ocean for some time, we're bound to run into someone, right?"
Ashenpaw gazed admiringly at Silverstar, stunned at both her beauty and poise. She was very quiet when she listened to Wolfheart, and her face betrayed no emotion, even as she turned to Lightningnose and Pikeleap. That was when her fur began to rise slightly, and she was more than grateful for Finchwing's fur pressing against hers. Even Greenpool's tail laid at Squirrelpaw's flank, and Ashenpaw knew that their mentors were silently reminding them that they were there. Please, StarClan... if you're listening, don't let Silverstar join Jaystar's side! she prayed, though she wondered if it was futile to do so. As far as the cats of the valley knew, StarClan wasn't around any longer.
Lightningnose tipped her head. "Foxstar said that she knew nothing of it, and she did seem sincere. But I don't know of another reason that could explain Russetfern's body being there."
"That means DuskClan's definitely the ones behind the murders," Pikeleap rumbled as he turned to Silverstar. His eyes narrowed as he spoke. "Remember that we share a border with them, Silverstar. Our cats are more at risk of falling prey to Foxstar's warriors. If BirchClan wants to stop this before there's any more blood spilled, we should ally ourselves with Jaystar."
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