Flamepelt pondered Branchfall's request. The uneasiness of the tom almost reeked.
"Have you ever imagined what dreams with StarClan must look like? What is it like for medicine cats? Is it visions, or do our ancestors actually speak with them?" He twitched his whiskers at the thought of what exactly the medicine cats had to interpret, looking at his patrolmates, though he knew Rainstripe could not hear him. "It is unfortunate that medicine cats don't really share their visions and dreams with us until they interpret it, and even then they mostly just give us the interpretation. I've always wanted to know what it was like. What it feels like. How about you?" Flamepelt looked up at the morning sky. "Do they hunt there when all is well? What are StarClan's hunting grounds like?" He sighed. "The half-moon is tonight, and it always makes me wonder about it, makes me want to experience it just once." He added, as well, "And the BirchClan medicine cat will have to pass through today, right?" He wondered if Branchfall's uneasiness was caused by patrolling his old Clan's border. Yes, it probably was, right? He felt his sister's curiosity about Branchfall's feelings regarding his old Clan rubbing off on him, and he would have to fight it. He believed Branchfall would not betray the Clan when they needed his help, not when he had so many chances to leave already if he did not want to stay.
As they paused to leave their mark on the border, he caught Rainstripe's attention by standing in front of her and did his best to convey those thoughts and questions to her, though tersely. "StarClan dreams? What are they like? What about StarClan's hunting grounds? Do medicine cats hunt in times of peace? I want to experience it. The half-moon makes me think about it."
He practiced on his own sometimes, watched others converse with her for some memory refreshment, but still did not feel entirely comfortable with that way of speech, particularly the way it interfered with movement - only so much could be said with ear, tail, and whisker, and those were mostly already taken by common gestures and battle and patrol gestures. That would not stop him from treating her as an equal, ever, but he wondered if Rainstripe ever felt like it was bothersome for some of her Clanmates.
"Of course!" Dawnstep replied with a purr, amused by the question. "We are even supposed to do it, any prey we might come across. I'm sure Froststorm has shown you how to bury your freshkill to pick it up later, right? It is standard procedure for a hunting patrol."
Sometimes she would forget that Nightpaw was her younger brother, for they hadn't had much more contact than any other unrelated cats, especially as she was a busy apprentice and a typically ambitious fresh warrior during his kithood, and he was apprenticed to Froststorm now. Was it even possible to form a bond with him now that is more familial, closer to what she has with her parents? She had barely seen much of him before his apprenticeship except for the occasional visit to her nursing mother, and now they each had their mostly different duties - and she did not mingle that much with warriors other than Flamepelt, either, outside of Clan duties. He seemed a good cat, though, a good future warrior. Like Flamepelt and Dawnstep, he, too, has shown their father's kindness towards others, an important trait for a Clan cat. The care and kindness were good signs for loyalty, reliability. He did have the knack for mischief like Flamepelt, though, but just like his brother, Nightpaw would surely grow into a great Clan cat. Besides, almost every cat had some sort of adventurous incident while still in the nursery. That was not her choice of prey, but it was for most kits.
"I'll go this way," she said. She let her patrolmates spread out, picking a direction of her own, tasting the air first for traces of her same-litter brother and his border patrol. They were somewhere near, though she couldn't quite pinpoint it. They did leave earlier than her hunting patrol, but she had seen them head to halfway around the border towards DuskClan. She could catch up with them with no problems. With her paws light on the ground, she could not advance fast, but at least she spotted a brave or desperate mouse scuttling through the grasses. Whatever it used to be, it was now dead, neck bitten through and small body protected by a layer of dirt. Fewer and fewer of those critters showed up the more time passed and leaf-bare closed in on them. The smaller amount of food for them was also visible on their bodies, which were not quite as plump as usual. No longer the birds lingered on branches or the cold ground much anymore, especially not in the colder mornings. The later patrols might have more luck with their catches.
The further she went, the closer she thought she was to the patrol. At one point she caught some voices muffled in the distance, guessed it was theirs, and remained in that area, sneaking in search of more prey. There was no need to be too close, just close enough. For Froststorm and Nightpaw, the reason was obvious - making sure their Clanmates had backup in case of hostility by a BirchClan patrol they might come across. And it was a good reason, and half the reason why Dawnstep wanted to keep an eye on them. Sometimes she felt she was too wound up regarding loyalty, but the many deaths in the Clans called for it more than anything.
Just as the meeting ended, Silverflight assigned Flamepelt on a border patrol with Rainstripe and Branchfall, both cats he had once trained with as an apprentice. BirchClan was an interesting choice for Branchfall, though he had already spent over a year with their Clan, rejected from returning to his own after his mentor’s death. Flamepelt knew for certain his sister kept having her doubts about the former BirchClan tom, and wondered if those doubts would ever go away.
At Branchfall’s nudge, he followed out of camp, nodding at his sister over his shoulder. He noticed Branchfall greeting her, as well, probably in an attempt to get on her good side. She always greeted back, polite as ever, but had not once initiated a conversation with the tom that was not concerning their duties.
Flamepelt followed behind Rainstripe and Branchfall, who had attempted to talk to her from in front of her as they walked. It was a nice thing, but it had to be clumsy for him to travel like that. He twitched his whiskers in amusement. They had all learned the sign language for Rainstripe when they were apprentices, but even that way of communication was not the easiest while travelling, especially if it was not something a cat used often. Nevertheless, Branchfall could use more friends in the Clan instead of living with mostly acquaintances. He let them talk, keeping his senses trained on their surroundings as they passed through their territory towards the border.
Skypaw's new name echoed between the cats as they approached him and called him by his new name in congratulations. Dawnstep joined in with a few calls of her own, but then turned towards her companions, nodding at Branchfall in greeting. Though the tom was not new in the Clan, and had shared his apprenticeship in MistClan with her and Flamepelt, she did not yet feel like he was her Clanmate. Sure, he did all the duties as any warrior, but it did not feel like his heart was quite in it. Could she ever rely on him in battle? Especially against his old Clan, or even worse - his kin? He had not shown any signs of disloyalty, but his connection to a rival Clan paired with his behaviour left her suspicious. The loners they had in MistClan at least had no prior connections to groups of cats they might battle anytime. She did not really believe he was the murderer of all those cats, though... at least not his mentor.
She pricked her ears as Silverflight ordered her to go hunting with Froststorm and her apprentice, Nightpaw. Moments later, the apprentice appeared by her side, asking, "Where're we going to go hunting?"
Dawnstep swivelled her head towards Nightpaw. The young tom clearly expected her to lead the hunting patrol, though his mentor was his mentor, as well as older and more experienced than Dawnstep. "We could try going more into the forest towards BirchClan, keep an eye on our patrol from a distance." She glanced at the members of the patrol assigned for that border. "Silverflight did say Irisstar was in a foul mood, so we’ll have to make sure we’re not too close so they don’t feel threatened. However, we could be needed if they come across a hostile BirchClan patrol. But we’ll also keep away from the Oak Dens. How’s that sound?" She did not feel like getting her paws too wet in the ever colder water of leaf-fall, and rather wished for a bird or squirrel or an unlucky mouse that might have found its way over the border.
Also, she was keen to watch Branchfall on his old Clan’s border. What if they met a patrol? She knew his old Clan did not want him back, but how did the tom feel about that? He had tried to go back once, after all. She waved her tail at him and Flamepelt as they followed Rainstripe out of camp, greeting her on their way, then called for Froststorm before heading out herself, shaking off the droplets of dew that tried to soak her fur on her way out.
The loud call from the Poolstone rang in Dawnstep's ears as she shook her head and stood up, stretching sleep from her muscles in the comfortable warriors' den. A Clan meeting? Must be Skykit's ceremony. Oh, she hoped it was. The patrols couldn't have returned long before, so there was another option… another death. But Shadestar had not sounded distressed.
She crept outside and settled by the den entrance with her tail wrapped over her paws. The clearing in the camp was slowly filling with cats, some moving past and around her on their way from the warriors' den, most buzzing with excitement and glancing at Skykit from their spots. The kit's energy made her remember her own eagerness to become an apprentice, to serve the Clan at last, to become a more important and useful Clanmate to all. This kit was, though, more likely to be excited at the sole prospect of being allowed out of camp paired with finally fighting and hunting, like her brother Flamepelt used to be when they were kits. Her whiskers twitched in amusement. Skykit was known for his many kithood escapades, and now he would finally have permission for them... sort of.
At least there hasn't been another death. The invading thought came again. Dawnstep could not stop herself from wondering when the next announcement about another dead cat would come. Would she be the cat to come across it, to have to report it? The one time was more than enough for her. She shuffled her paws and flicked her ear as if flicking the dark thoughts away like a fly. She had to focus on the ceremony.
Just then, Shadestar called for Skykit. Dawnstep nearly jumped higher than the warriors' den after she noticed a cat now close by her side, ears flattening for a split moment and a hiss escaping her lips.
Greeting every cat in passing, Flamepelt tried to pad through his Clanmates over to his sister, Dawnstep, who did not seem to be quite aware of anything around herself. On his way, he kept an eye out for Branchfall, finally beckoning to him with his tail to join him before continuing to the warriors' den.
He purred as he approached Dawnstep, her absentmindedness a common occurrence in the recent days, and settled beside her when Shadestar called Skykit's name to begin his ceremony. When she returned to the present again she flinched, looking ready to claw his fur off. The hiss was not welcoming, either, but Flamepelt stroked her back with his tail while suppressing mrrows of laughter. "It's only me." Though it was somewhat amusing to see her like that, it was even more worrying when he knew what was behind it, but worry was not something to discuss during a kit's important moment.
She snorted, eyes fixed away from him in embarrassment. "I can see that, thank you." Ever since they had first heard of a mysterious cat death, Dawnstep was becoming less and less her usual self. It made sense, since she had turned inwards when she used to go about thinking about the Clan and its needs and problems, trying to fix and organise everything like a leader or deputy. However, after the first couple of conversations with Flamepelt about her worries back when it all started, she had stopped sharing her thoughts on that topic with him. Sometimes it felt like she was going to doubt and suspect even him, and it was not a welcome feeling.
He pressed himself closer against her and dragged his tongue over her ear. "A new apprentice! We need more elders for them to take care of." He relaxed some more when he heard her quiet laugh.
"Shush, we're not respectful," she whispered afterwards, nodding towards Shadestar and Skykit.
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