Fallen Petals

Chapter 1

Nightpaw looked around, her jaws parted. Sootscar will be pretty mad if I don't find any catmint!  Aloud, she mewed to herself, "He said it was near an oak tree...and that the tree was near Sunningrocks..." Nightpaw raced in that general direction. The mouthwatering scent of catmint soon crashed over her like a wave, and the black apprentice found a clump of the sweet smelling herb, sheltered from the harsh, cold winds by a bramble thicket. 

"Finally! And there's quite a bit here, too. It'll last for a good part of leafbare." She gently nipped the stalks until she had as many as she could carry, and, holding them on her tongue, and marched off in the direction of camp. The fragrance of the catmint, and faint sound of prey scuttering around in the undergrowth distracted her wandering thoughts as she walked. Nothing else seemed to matter, except for this one peaceful moment, until suddenly, there was a loud rustling behind her. Whipping around, her fur bristling, she glared at the barren forest before her, then relaxed as Mistfire, Sorrelfeather, and Dapplefall withdrew from a cluster of bushes.

"Hi, Nightpaw. That's a lot of catmint you have there!" Sorrelfeather's eyes widened, as did the other two warriors'. "There's some more where this came from!" Nightpaw meowed proudly, her voice muffled by the stalks. 

"We're a hunting patrol, but if you like we can help you with the rest of that catmint first," Mistfire looked down at Nightpaw, a question in his blue-green gaze. "Where is it?"

"Follow me," Nightpaw raced back to the tree. The wind, for once, was blowing in her favor, and it was a matter of heartbeats before she reached the tree. But by the time she got there, every trace of catmint was gone, save for a fading scent. "I-I don't understand. Where'd it all go?"

Dapplefall exchanged a glance with her mate, Sorrelfeather. "Are you sure this is the right tree?" the mottled she-cat asked gently. Dapplefall had been Nightpaw's mentor before, when she'd trained as a warrior apprentice. Nightpaw nodded. "Maybe a rabbit came along and ate the rest?" Sorrelfeather's jaws were parted, as if the gray she-cat were trying to scent it in the strong wind.

"Maybe..." Nightpaw frowned. Then she gave herself a little shake. "But I still have this, so I might as well take it back to camp." Mistfire nodded and led the patrol away. Nightpaw waited a few heartbeats before padding back to camp. Skinny black trees towered above her, offering little protection from the freezing gales. Frost lay over the dirt and grass like a thin blanket, and thin mist filled the air, whipped around by the wind. She winced as she passed blackened patches where herbs grew bountifully in greenleaf, and was so immersed in the eerie yet beautiful atmosphere that she nearly crashed into the thorn barrier. Flushing, she ducked into camp and headed for the medicine den.

Sootscar sniffed the catmint, a rare smile on his face. "Good, good. You said there was more?" Nightpaw shifted a bit. "Well, there was more. But by the time I went back, it was all gone!" He nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Hm. But at least you brought back most of it. Why don't you go put it in the store?"

"Well...actually, I wanted to go back out and try to figure out what happened to the rest of the catmint..." Nightpaw shrank in her pelt, ready for a solid no. But Sootscar simply frowned a bit and meowed. "Well, if the catmint disappeared that quickly, I doubt you'll get very far. But I suppose you can go take a quick look. If you find anything, let me know. We need to make sure nothing happens to the other herbs in the forest, especially now that it's leafbare."

Nightpaw nodded, surprised that the skinny gray tom had given his consent, and dashed out of the den. The forest was a blur of neutrals, with a hint of green as she raced along, jaws parted to catch the faint scent of catmint. Skidding to a halt near Sunningrocks, she soon found the tree.

She sniffed again, just to be sure. "Yeah, this is it. There's a very faint scent left." Nightpaw looked around. "I don't think it was a rabbit. I would be able to smell it as well..." she trailed off as she heard pawsteps padding towards her. The air was filled with the scent of stone and earth, and, turning around, she found herself face to face with a cat she'd never seen before. Frozen with fear, Nightpaw stared up at the cat, whose amber eyes gleamed back down. As the mist thinned a bit, she could make out a lean tortoiseshell she-cat, calmly sitting near her. Her pelt was smooth and shiny, and she was studying Nightpaw curiously, ears pricked. 

"C-can I help y-you?" the apprentice stammered. The she-cat licked a paw and drew it over her ear. "You must be Nightpaw. Apprentice medicine cat of ThunderClan?" Nightpaw nodded slowly, eyes wide. "How-" she broke off and gaped at the she-cat, who let out an amused purr. "Don't ask. Now," she beckoned Nightpaw closer, and Nightpaw slowly inched towards the cat. "Could you take me to your leader? Elmstar, I assume?" 

Nightpaw lifted her chin. "Y-yes, Elmstar is the ThunderClan leader. And...I can take you to her, if you like." The tortoiseshell nodded eagerly. Nightpaw padded back to camp, looking over her shoulder every foxlength or so to see if the strange cat was still following. She was more careful now, treading lightly. She half expected to be jumped by yet another rogue in the mist.

When they approached the camp, she meowed, "Wait here. I'll get Elmstar." Stumbling through the entrance, Nightpaw raced to Elmstar's den under the Highrock and poked her head inside the lichen screen. "Elmstar?" The leader looked up from grooming her light brown fur. "Yes, Nightpaw?"

"I, er, found a strange cat near the border. She wants to talk to you." Elmstar rose. "Where is this cat?" Nightpaw gulped. "Outside the camp." 

Elmstar narrowed her eyes at the apprentice. "You should've left her at the border and come back to tell me." Letting out a puff of breath, she added, "But I suppose I should talk to this cat. If she meant to do any harm, she probably wouldn't ask to see me, now would she?" The Clan leader padded out of her den, Nightpaw following.

A/N: Phew! Hi guys! I know I said I wouldn't post often, but my schedule is kinda wonky and I've been working to get a good amount of content out while I have the time. Also, a huge thanks to @Echodawn20006 for helping me with some of the story and details! 

A/N #2: Feels like I'm gonna post two author's notes on all of these. Ah well. Anyway, one of my friends suggested that I explain Warriors terminology better. So I'm linking to the Warriors Wiki (yes it can be trusted for some things).  So here it is:                                                  https://warriors.fandom.com/wiki/Clan_terminology