Oh how don't you drown in a rainstorm?
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Cedarpaw bolted forward, hooking his claws into a squirrel's shaggy coat. They tumbled over each other down the slope until they stopped, landing with Cedarpaw firmly rooted atop his quarry. Orchidwind, Brackenstep, and Shadowblink caught up to him fairly quickly.
"Nice catch, Cedarpaw!" Brackenstep purred.
"Yeah, we don't get too many squirrels around here either," Orchidwind agreed.
Cedarpaw was so busy taking in the squirrel's reddish fur, not unlike his own pelt, that he couldn't respond. He dug his claws in deeper. The bright, crimson blood warmed his paws even in spite of the stickiness.
"Now don't shred it!" Orchidwind chided, gently nosing him away. She made short work of lightly burying his catch.
"If we're quite done here, we still have a patrol to finish," Shadowblink reminded them.
"Oh, keep your fur on," Brackenstep teased lightly. "We've got plenty of time. And besides, when has ThicketClan ever wanted to bother us?"
Shadowblink shrugged amiably in reply, seemingly more at ease. Cedarpaw followed as they headed back up the slope to pad along the ThicketClan border. He hadn't cleaned his paws, though in the back of his mind he knew he would probably regret that later. Focusing on Shadowblink instead was a welcome distraction.
Useless cat. What's the point of having authority if you aren't going to use it?
He quickly shook the thought off, guilt pricking at his insides. Breezepaw didn't need more reasons to be angry with him right now. Besides, Shadowblink hadn't actually done anything to warrant any ill will. The RiftClan heir was most likely trying to avoid creating unnecessary tension between the group of patrolling cats.
"RiftClan, state your business," a sharp voice called out.
Cedarpaw cursed himself briefly for losing himself in another daydream, then padded closer to his father's side. Featherpaw was standing between a blue-grey tabby tom and a cream and white molly on the ThicketClan edge of their shared border. He avoided meeting Featherpaw's gaze, uncomfortable with the friendliness he knew he'd find in it.
For reasons he couldn't explain, ThicketClanners as a collective were just... like that. Thicketmoon might've been the least emotive of the Clan leaders, eyes almost permanently glazed with disinterest, but the cats under his command certainly hadn't gotten the memo. They tended to be the most relaxed at gatherings, the first to initiate conversations across the border, and if any druids were running low on herbs it would be Chasewhisker who pointed out that there was plenty to go around in his den.
"Streamstone, Meadowtear," Shadowblink greeted them both politely, dipping his head. "Good to see you. We are simply performing a border patrol. Is the prey running well in ThicketClan?"
"Very well, thank you," Meadowtear replied, any previous caginess quickly vanishing for now. "Featherpaw here is even keeping the martens on their toes! If you ask me she's due for an assessment soon."
"I'm really fast," Featherpaw added proudly. "Streamstone says Erminepaw and I get that from our mom."
"That's because Nettlestalk happens to be the most fantastic cat in the Clan," Streamstone purred, butting her shoulder playfully. He twitched his whiskers curiously. "How about you? Have you noticed anything strange in your part of the forest?"
"No, not a thing," Orchidwind admitted with a light shrug. "Perhaps Maplemoon was getting worked up over a one-time incident."
We aren't going to tell them about Hollypaw's vision?
Cedarpaw finally glanced up to study the patrol. Streamstone was big, and unlike Firepaw, he couldn't really tell how much of that size was muscle and how much of it was just fur. Meadowtear had a similar build to Callamouse; delicate and fluffy, with rounded features and a bushy tail. The thing all three cats had in common was their flattened, well-groomed fur and brightened eyes.
"Oh, I've never thought about hunting like that," Meadowtear was meowing thoughtfully. Her eyes flitting over Cedarpaw made him uncomfortable. "And what about Cedarpaw? He must be coming into his own through training by now."
Cedarpaw subtly dug his claws into the dirt as the RiftClan patrol shared uncertain glances. They didn't have to treat him like a wounded fox just because he'd woken up on the wrong side of his nest one time. Breezepaw had been asking for a fight, and anyway, he'd kept his claws sheathed.
"Cedarpaw is loyal, and a quick thinker," Brackenstep reported. "RiftClan is lucky to have a cat with plenty of spunk to defend it."
Relieved, Cedarpaw pressed against his father's side. For some reason, the group of cats staring at him wasn't making him agitated, as it usually did. He couldn't quite name the pit tightening his stomach and filling him with the urge to run away and curl up in his nest back at camp.
"We should be getting on our way," Shadowblink decided briskly, flicking his tail. "It was nice to chat. Please extend our regards to Thicketmoon."
"Likewise," Streamstone purred lazily. "It's getting a bit dark anyhow, and I could do with a good nap."
"Take care crossing back to your camp!" Meadowtear added, her tail swishing in a friendly manner.
Cedarpaw stuck close to Brackenstep's side as his patrol began to hike back up towards the heart RiftClan's hunting grounds. He glanced just slightly over his shoulder, and catching Featherpaw's gaze, extended what he hoped was a polite wave of his tail.
***
With the sunlight beginning to fade, climbing back up the slope they had practically slid down earlier was an interesting challenge. RiftClan cats were lucky, he reflected now, to have thicker and longer claws for scaling the scrublands. Though they weren't quite as lucky when it came to the amount of dirt that clumped up beneath said claws. Between that, and the squirrel blood still caked around his paws, Cedarpaw was really regretting failing to groom himself earlier.
Dawnspots greeted the patrol with a half-drowsy nod, stepping aside to allow them through the camp entrance. At this time of day, most of the warriors and apprentices would be lazing about the camp, sharing tongues or getting ready to curl up for the night.
"Drop that squirrel off at the fresh-kill pile and get some rest," Brackenstep ordered, gently breaking the small bubble of silence that Cedarpaw couldn't seem to shake.
Unable to respond with anything more than a nod due to the scrap of fluff clamped in his jaws, he padded off to do just that. It seemed like the Clan's hunting today had been good. Not that Cedarpaw was feeling particularly hungry tonight, even if the smell of the squirrel he was carrying should have been tempting.
My paws feel like I dragged them through a creek of mouse bile.
He tossed the squirrel into the fresh-kill pile with a sharp twist of his head. Satisfied, he sat down and began drawing his tongue over his forepaws. Over, and over, and over he lapped, shaking grass blades free here and smoothing his pricked-up fur down there.
Once he felt his paws were taken care of, he slumped back on his haunches, realising just how exhausting the day had been. He considered just dragging himself into the apprentice's den and winced as he remembered that would mean having to confront Breezepaw again. Not even divine intervention on the part of Mother Moon herself could make that go well.
"Cedarpaw, how are you feeling?" Firepaw's voice was soft and gentle as he settled down just across from him. Robinpaw did the same, her eyes full of something Cedarpaw was too tired to decipher.
"Fine," Cedarpaw responded, almost automatically. He didn't look up to meet their eyes. "Just worn out. I'm probably going to head inside the den soon."
"Orchidwind seems pretty eager to brag about the squirrel you caught," Robinpaw remarked hopefully. "The way she's going on, it's almost as bad as Vixenflight."
Cedarpaw shrugged, mostly numb to the praise and disinterested in chatting. But no amount of exhaustion gave him the heart to tell his best friend, not to mention his sister, to leave him alone no matter how desperately he wished he could.
"...Right, you'll probably want to get some sleep," Robinpaw sighed. The disappointment in her mew made him feel even worse. "Come on, Firepaw. He'll... be back to himself in the morning."
Cedarpaw knew she didn't really believe that, but all he could really feel was relief at being left to his own devices. Maybe he would find somewhere on the edge of camp to sleep, and just keep out every cat's way altogether. That might make the churning in his stomach stop.
"I think you should have some of this." Hollypaw, who had appeared to disrupt his peace from AzureClan-knows-where, nudged a bundle of scraggly-looking leaves towards him. "It's dandelion, and before you argue, I can tell something's got you worked up."
Cedarpaw didn't have the energy to try and protest. The dandelion leaves were rough and bitter, but it wasn't difficult to lap up the pawful before swallowing them down. It surprised him to feel his insides start to settle down.
"...Thanks, I think that feels better," Cedarpaw mumbled simply. Hollypaw flopped down right next to him, which was much closer than he'd expected—and maybe wanted—any cat to get.
"Well, it helps when you decide not to be stubborn," Hollypaw teased lightly. "Anyway. The stars are bright tonight, don't you think?"
Cedarpaw tilted his head towards the sky, taking in the milky frost of starshine slowly creeping across the horizon. He couldn't tell if it was the beauty, or the dandelion kicking in, but he finally felt at ease.
"You think AzureClan wants to tell us something?" he asked, not very seriously.
"Who knows," Hollypaw replied dreamily, flicking her ears. "Though speaking of... visions, I have something to ask you."
"Does Swallowfall want me sorting more herbs?" Cedarpaw's pelt spiked at the thought. "Because I'm not interested. Not tonight anyway."
"No, nothing like that," Hollypaw purred. In this light, her amber eyes resembled pools of honey. "I was just thinking, that's all. If you really want to level the playing field against Breezepaw, well, druids have visions all the time."
Cedarpaw shifted slightly, torn between confusion and surprise. "You want to lie to our Clanmates about... me being in one of your dreams?"
"It just came to me while I was thinking about how you'd probably need cheering up," Hollypaw replied innocently. "You don't have to agree. Druids usually shouldn't get involved in arguments like that."
Cedarpaw mulled the idea over in his mind for all of a heartbeat. He knew, more than anything else, exactly what he wanted to be doing right now. There was nothing to be gained from worrying. This spat with Breezepaw wasn't a problem that could be solved overnight anyway.
"You think you could give me the night to sleep on it?"