by Hopeflower » Wed Aug 27, 2014 8:33 pm
The cats Shadowsoul had brought with him were quite obviously on edge; ears pricked to catch the slightest sound, tails carried low, they moved as if stalked in their own territory. It was partially to avoid the attention of any ShadowClan cats that might be in the area. As luck would have it, the border was freshly marked, but there weren't any cats from the rival Clan in sight - the ThunderClan patrol must have just missed ShadowClan's. All the better. They weren't out to cause trouble, after all.
Two moons later saw the return of an uneasy peace in the forest. ThunderClan had spread the news of the severely injured Eli at the Gathering, and the other Clans had kept a wary eye out for trouble since. No one had seen hide or hair of any creature that would maul a cat so badly in quite some time. Eli, recovered from his injuries and memory loss, had left as soon as Mistpool told him he was able to walk, claiming discomfort around so many cats. Despite the peace and time of plenty, borders were watched more closely than ever, and recently, it was not unusual for ThunderClan patrols to come to blows with RiverClan's and ShadowClan's.
Even with the tension that mounted with the heat and fraying tempers, Shadowstar was bursting with pride over the birth of Swanfeather's kittens. They had been born without very much complication, though Swanfeather still seemed not to have recovered from the ordeal. Thinking back on it, Shadowstar shivered faintly with renewed fear over the memory of her sister's fluffy white pelt stained crimson, and Swanfeather's desperate pleas for Mistpool to see to the kits first. With her last scrap of consciousness, she had named them Ravenkit, Echokit, and Icekit. The medicine cat had stayed by Swanfeather's side all night, doing her best to keep the new mother alive. It had been a close call, and she was still very weak. When not tending to her duties as leader, Shadowstar wasn't often caught away from the nursery.
As for ThunderClan's neighbors across the Thunderpath, Cedarstar, weakened by the illness ShadowClan had suffered and old age, had passed quietly in his sleep the previous moon. Twistedjaw had gone to receive his nine lives and taken the name Twistedstar. Littlefern, still feeling the loss of Shadepaw, had become a shadow of her former lively self. She was quiet and withdrawn, and beyond performing her duties as a medicine cat, showed minimal interest in the birth of a few new litters of kits and the naming of new apprentices.
The once-feared Clan, still clawing their way to recovering from the terrible sickness, now jumped at the faintest hint of aggression, marking their borders almost obsessively in an attempt to show that they were more than able to defend their land. Clashes with ThunderClan were frequent, and it was almost expected to see more than a few of the remaining warriors nursing injuries. Littlefern could barely keep up with the need for her herbs, and she had no idea how they were going to get through leaf-fall and leaf-bare if her stocks ran low.
RiverClan was facing troubles of its own as well. In a time of what should have been plenty, the relatively large group of water-loving felines were struggling to get by. Twolegs that had settled further upriver for the season were taking many of the fish the Clan depended on. Short of food, as they were more used to catching fish than stalking ground prey, their bids for Sunningrocks were becoming more and more desperate, seeking to add the ideal hunting and sunning spot to their territory so that they might have at least some chance to eat well before the harsher seasons struck. In addition to that, the Twolegs were poisoning the river with strange, inedible items that in turn made what the Clan managed to catch inedible. Their medicine cat was hard pressed to find enough herbs to treat the cats that fell ill with terrible bellyaches.
"Gotta have a little sadness once in a while so you know when the good times come."
"Talent is a pursued interest. In other words, anything that you're willing to practice, you can do." ~ Bob Ross
"The future is always uncertain and painful but it must be lived." ~ Unknown