Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The leaf-fall wind cut through the thick layers of Curlstars pelt, Taipanstrike fluffing up his own pelt in an attempt to keep warm. The rising dawn did nothing to chase away the cold as it painted the camp in a golden hue.

Callamoon sat a bit away from the pair, her muzzle pointed towards the remaining stars in the sky as if they held the answer to everything. The silence between them remained heavy, their paws rooted to the ground even as the last few warriors dragged themselves to their nests.

Minutes ago a body had laid at their paws, a young warrior taken far too soon by a stray fox. Her body long yet cooled by the time the elders quietly came to take her away, her apprentice trailing behind miserably.

Taipanstrike shuffled besides him, eyes far too eager after freezing half to death the entire night.

“Hibiscuspaw?” He asks, voice cutting through the silence with little care. Callamoon flinches in surprise, pausing her mediation to send a disapproving glance in their direction.

“...Will need a new mentor.” Curlstar admits, keeping his voice soft, less the medicine cat decides to take matters into her own paws. “After he's had time to grieve.”

Taipanstrike had always been a master of hiding his frustration, the slight twitch of his tail being the only indication he didn't like Curlstars clear dismissal. He knows the deputy is desperate for his fist apprentice, but it hardly seems appropriate when Rainfoots spirit isn't among Silverpelt yet.

Luckily exhaustion seems to drain the fight from him as he stalks off towards the den, muttering about dawn patrol under his breath.

Seems it's Curlstars responsibility to designate patrols this morning. Again.

Callamoon yawns as Taipanstrike disappears, ending her vigil with a stretch and a shake of her long dark fur. She lessens the distance between them, looking downcast at the spot where Rainfoot laid.

“She was so young.” Is all she says after a moment's silence.

“She died a warrior.” Is all he replies with. It's true after all, Rainfoot had died protecting her apprentice to the very end.

He could never forget when Hibiscuspaw dragged her through the camp entrance, fur wild and bloody but otherwise unharmed. Too young to be sheltered like a kit, but not quite old enough to defend himself like a warrior. He thought bitterly.

It didn't help Rainfoot tended to be a pacifist, she probably wasn't as strict about sparring as she should've been. An issue he'd always intended to address.

“Taipanstrike seems keen to have him as an apprentice.” A statement posed like a question. Something deeper lurking in Callamoons tone.

“The elders must've been giving him grief again.” Curlstar replies lightly. “I meant what I said about it being too early to think about, but he'd be a good candidate.”

The medicine cat seems to hesitate, her gaze flickering between him and the warrior's den. “Are you sure?”

His silently confused stare seems to snap her back to reality. “I just mean- I received guidance that makes me believe he's not the best choice. Not for this.”

Curlstar groans,his ears dropping dramatically. “Please Callamoon, I can't handle StarClans riddles tonight.”

She only rolls her eyes playfully at his pleading. “Good thing it's my job to worry about it then, hm?”

He bumps her shoulder playfully in retaliation, praying to StarClan she'd drop the subject before it became uncomfortable.

Unfortunately her expression settles back into something serious. “But really, I've earned my name despite my training. You should be able to trust me a little on these things.”

“I do…” Curlstar protests weakly, “And I'll take it into consideration. Promise.”

Callamoon doesn't seem to buy it, leaning in close with a lowered tone. “Beware more than the snake in the grass. For they slither in flame soaked dirt and spout silver tongued lies as well.”

She leaves Curlstar in the clearing stunned, quickly retreating to her den without another word. He glances at the stars in some sort of vain hope they'll elaborate, but the morning sun has extinguished their light.

Silence once again reclaims the morning air, the rising dawn does nothing to chase away the shadows of his thoughts.

Chapter Text

Hibiscuspaw almost wished he was the one being buried with the way his paws ached. Who knew sitting through the cold all night and then walking from sunrise to sunhigh was a bad idea? Rainfoot would probably scold him for being disrespectful if she'd heard, but she couldn't. Not anymore at least.

The moors felt even more empty as he trailed behind the elders, the wind whipping at his fur and carrying a confusing mess of different scents. If he focused he could retrace the steps Rainfoot had taken yesterday, the iron tang of blood muddling their path back.

It felt like a thick layer of fog had settled over his brain, and yet it was hyper aware of every little blade of grass that rubbed against his paws wrong, or the pitying looks the elders would send his way, or-

He shook his fur out, trying to force a little more spring into his step as the camp entrance came into sight.

Only a few cats were working about the camp as most of them were out on patrols at this time of day. Curlstars pale orange pelt seemed to glow as he laid on top of the Tallstone, one eye cracked open as he observed the activity below. Hibiscuspaw felt himself tense, trying to pull together the image of someone who was totally ready to get back out there.

“No time to wallow when there's hares to catch!” As his father would say.

He started towards the spot Rainfoot would wait for him when he overslept. She'd be mad that they'd started so late in the day but-

He stopped. She wouldn't be waiting.

Which was fine! Things happened and just because she was gone didn't mean she wouldn't guide him, that's why Silverpelt was there!

…Although he doubted she'd show up just to give his day some direction, what was he even supposed to do? Should he be doing anything?

“Hibiscuspaw?”

He jolts at the soft sound of Callamoons voice. She was peeking out at him from her den, an all too knowing look as she watched him flounder for any kind of response.

She beckoned him to come in with a flick of her tail and swiftly disappeared behind the vines and foliage.
Dread pooled in his stomach. As much as he likes Callamoon he does not want to be lectured about his feelings or whatever. Hibiscuspaw risked a glance at Curlstar, who's looking down at him with an amused smile and otherwise providing no escape for him.

No choice but to follow her it seems.

The thick but comfortable smell of earth and herbs hit him as soon as he walked in, each plant stored away neatly in a system he could never hope to understand. The den was dim, but a hole in the back allowed a bit of sun to slip in and warm the place up comfortably.

It was obvious to anyone Callamoon was destined to be here as she returned to her sorting, offering a warm smile and a place to sit beside her. She doesn't seem put off by his hesitance as he drags his paws over.

He braced himself for another talk about Rainfoot still being there to guide him and how proud she'll be- the same talk he's gotten five times this morning, and countless times when his father died- but it never arrived. Callamoon only hummed lightly to herself as she divided little withered leaves from healthy ones.

“It's nice in here,” he hates to break the silence, but he's never sure what to do with himself “I should get sick more often.”

Callamoon huffs a little, smiling easily. “Well you're welcome to visit anytime, but if you're sick all the time you'll get bored pretty quick.” Something like fondness shines in her eyes as she softly adds: “I like it too.”

She abandons her work and turns to him fully, a hint of worry glinting in her eyes. “You were limping though, did you get hurt?”

“Oh? I don't think so…” He hadn't even noticed! No wonder she was in charge. “My paws are kind of sore I guess.”

Callamoon nods, taking his paw and turning it in her own. He tries not to cringe at the sight of his raw and bloody paw pads.

“No wonder, the elders have thickened up by now but your own pads are still soft.” It's not unkind, just a simple observation, but part of him still feels embarrassed. “Experience will toughen you up a bit.”

She turns away for a moment. Now that he's aware of how bad it is he can't ignore how much it stings.

“You sat on that rock all night didn't you? That definitely didn't help.” Callamoon asks as she rubs some kind of slather onto his paws.

“...The cold helped keep me awake.” He admitted, mourning his now sticky paws.

The medicine cat only smiles in sympathy. “First vigils are always hard, good practice for your warriors' vigil at least.”

Hibiscuspaw shudders, he'd completely forgotten about that part. “Maybe I should flunk my assessment, get more time to sleep before I have to stay up all night again.”

“Don't worry too much about it. Yours should land in new-leaf, Curlstars was in the middle of leaf-bare!”

“They do that?!” Hibiscuspaw gasps, the other clans had their fancy trees to stave off the worst of the winds, but the moors gave no such kindness.

“They do!” Callamoon giggled. “You should've seen him, even with that thick fur his paws were frozen to the ground by sunrise.”

Maybe it could be considered treason, but he had to admit the image of his fearless leader frozen solid drove away the last of the chill.

“How was yours?” Hibiscuspaw questioned.

“Medicine cats don't have to do that, part of the reason I chose this path.” She joked with a wink. “I think you could be good at it, if it was something you were ever interested in.”

He couldn't help the way dread dragged his mood down as he realized where this was going. “I thought about it, actually. But I don't think I could remember everything like you.”

He wasn't really sure if he was particularly good at anything. On one of paw he liked being on the moor, but wasn't the best hunter despite his keen sense of smell. On the other he knew he despised being underground and digging, but his mom always thought he was destined to follow his family's path as a tunneler.

“How are your paws?” Callamoon questioned suddenly. Grateful for the change in subject he examined them again, waiting for the sting of the cold air. He found himself pleasantly surprised to feel only a warm and soft numbness instead.

“Better! I could take on like ten ThunderClan cats!”

“I'm sure you could, but maybe we should start with a nap first?”

A nap? Heaviness settled on his fur once again, a nap felt inappropriate somehow. Death had been so much easier to deal with when he was too little to understand it properly.

Callamoon seemed to notice his dismay. “Correction, we will start with a nap.” She painted it as a joke, but her tone carried the slightest hint of a warning if he tried to argue.

“I would but um…” He twisted his paw uselessly, “sticky paws.”

“You can nap here, it's warmer here anyways.” Her tone left no room for argument. “I'll get you some poppy seeds, it'll make sleep just a bit easier.”

He settled into the nest as she disappeared deeper into the den, the exhaustion of the day weighing down his movements. As much as he didn't want to he had to admit taking the weight off his paws brought relief. Maybe a nap would be nice after all…

The last thing he heard before sleep claimed him was the soft steps of Callamoons return, exhaustion dragging him under before he knew what was happening.

Curlstar watched in amusement as Hibiscuspaw dragged himself into Callamoons den, tail dragging along behind him as if he'd just been sent to pick tics of the elders. Callamoon was always better at dealing with the more emotional aspect of clanmates, hopefully he wouldn't see the apprentice wandering aimlessly for the rest of the day.

The morning chill seemed to return with Taipanstrike, who was snapping at the older warrior on his patrol before turning and storming off.

Swanbite glared at the retreating deputy, fur bristling dangerously before he stalked off in the opposite direction. The wind carried mutters of “old age” and “needing to retire already” to Curlstars perch.

Curlstar sighed, picking himself up off the warm rock and shaking out his fur. Time to make some very upsetting decisions.

“May all cats who are old enough to run the moors gather beneath Tallrock for a clan meeting!”

Two days had passed, and while he dreaded this moment part of Curlstar was worried whenever he'd watch Hibiscuspaw drive himself crazy without any direction. Besides, he'd run out of excuses to prolong it any longer.

He glanced at the small crowd beneath him, Taipanstrike front and center with an eager expression. Callamoon sat a little further off, staring intensely as if she was daring him to make the right decision.

“Taipan is a kind of snake.” Callamoon admitted after a day's worth of back and forth. “Besides, even you have to admit their personalities might… not mix well.”

“I know what a taipan is. What's that got to do with anything?” Curlstar retorted, a small burst of anger singing his fur as he recalled the day before. “Callamoon please tell me you aren't trying to claim our deputy is dangerous.”

“I'm not!” Callamoon snapped. “Not without proof. But you need to put logic ahead of your emotions this time, Curlstar. Don't ask yourself what will make Taipanstrike happy, ask what's best for Hibiscuspaw.”

Said apprentice was sitting close to Callamoon, looking just as lost as he had been the past two days. She'd been letting him follow her and help her with small tasks, he'd even seen the two of them huddled over a small pile of herbs talking about their differences. “Simple things to keep him busy” she had replied when he questioned her.

“Rainfoots death was sudden, and she'll be dearly missed by us.” Curlstar started, nerves pricking at him like it was his first time holding a meeting again. “But it would be a disservice to allow her apprentice to go untrained.”

Taipanstrike perked up, shifting his weight as if he was ready to stand up at a moment's notice. His stomach dropped when they made eye contact.

“Swanbite, I am asking you to carry out what Rainfoot started.”

Shock and anger mirrored on both cats faces, Hibiscuspaw seeming to actively deflate in his spot. He had to admit Swanbite was not popular socially within the Clan, all three of his apprentices had come to him begging for a new mentor.

Both warriors opened their mouths to protest, but Curlstar quickly cut them off. “Swanbite, you are the most experienced and dedicated cat here, I trust you to handle these last few moons and pass down your knowledge to Hibiscuspaw.”

Swanbite stood stunned, eyeing the apprentice as if he expected him to burst into tears at any moment. Hibiscuspaw wearily eyed him back, trying to sit a little taller and hide his dismay.

StarClan please let this work out, I can't handle another traumatized apprentice. He prayed silently as Swanbite reluctantly stepped forward. Hibiscuspaw seemed just as hesitant, touching noses for only a split second before pulling back and offering a wobbly smile.

“If that's settled then, that is all for this meeting.” He dismissed. Mutters rang out as they dispersed, Swanbite the loudest of them all as his new apprentice trailed behind him. If he kept dragging his tail like that he'd have to clean the whole moor out of fur by the end of the day.

It would be fine. Probably.

“Are you serious?” Curlstar nearly jumped out of his fur as Taipanstrike hopped up beside him, fur bristling and tail thrashing. “Swanbite? That old bag of bones should've retired when we were apprentices!”

“Lower your voice!” Curlstar hissed back, jerking his tail towards the few stray gazes their way. “Come on, we can talk inside.”

Taipanstrike followed him, ears flattened towards the back of his skull as they entered his den. It always felt a little too large for him, nothing decorating the empty space besides his own nest.

“I would've been the perfect choice!” Taipanstrike snapped once they were out of earshot.

“I know, but think about it! He's only got what? Two moons left in training? It almost seems like a waste of time for you.” Curlstar reasoned. “Lilyleap is expecting, I think your time would be better spent with one of her kits as your apprentice.”

Taipanstrike observed him for a moment with narrowed eyes, his fur eventually settling and tail slowing to only a twitch.

“...Fine. Lilyleaps kits then.”

“Of course.” Curlstar promised. “You're my deputy Taipanstrike, I trust you with my life. I just need you to put a little trust in me.”

Taipanstrike only nodded, lurking a moment longer before slipping out of the den silently.

Curlstar felt the weight fall off his shoulders as he watched him leave. Everything would be fine. It had to be.

Chapter Text

Everything was not fine.

Callamoon knew deep in her heart she made the right call, she just didn't think he'd pick Swanbite of all cats! If Hibiscuspaw and Tapainstrike mixed like oil and water, Hibiscuspaw and Swanbite got along like oil and fire.

Said apprentice was currently trying to squirm away from her, small droplets of blood falling from a thin cut too close to his eye for comfort.

“Stay still.” She hissed as she dodged her paw again.

Hibiscuspaw groaned but ultimately compiled, screwing his eyes shut at the feeling of the cobwebs against his face.

“What if there's still a spider in there?” He asked nervously, peeking one eye open to check.

“I took the spider out before I took its web.” Callamoon reassured flatly, trying to get the web to stick properly.

“Maybe it came back for revenge! And now it's gonna lay eggs in my ears while I sleep!”

“Hibiscuspaw-”

“Serves him right.” Swanbite snapped from where he sat by the entrance. “I told you to just chase the hare in my direction.”

To his credit, Hibiscuspaw did seem guilty, large ears dropping and gaze downcast. Callamoon bites back her own remark and pushes his folded ear away from the cut.

“I thought I had it!” He started, “It's not like you would've been fast enough…”

His eyes go comically wide as he realizes what he said, desperately looking at Callamoon who can only clamp her mouth shut and try to stifle her own laugh.

It's a StarClan given miracle Swanbite doesn't launch across the den to rip his ears off, but Callamoon shuffles herself between them just in case.

“I just meant-!”

“That it was an honest mistake.” Curlstar interrupts, pushing his way through the vines. “A mistake that won't happen again I’m sure?”

Somehow Hibiscuspaw managed to look even more mortified. “I- yes! Of course!”

“This must be some kind of sick joke or something.” Swanbite muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Curlstar only laughed warmly, not put off by the wave of pure ire emanating from the older warrior. “It's only been three days, give it time!”

“Three days is more than enough time! I'm too old to be babysitting some hyperactive kit!” Swanbite snapped back, ears folding against his head.

Curlstar replied in that soft but stern tone he used, his “leader voice” Taipanstrike had called it once. Callamoon didn't bother to listen to the rest of their one sided spat, instead turning to focus on the apprentice in front of her.

She pulled the web ahead from his face, pleased to find it already stopped bleeding. She frowned when she realized he wasn't even paying attention, just staring at the other two cats with a distant expression.

“The good news is it shouldn't even scar,” she said quietly to pull Hibiscuspaw's attention away. “Just don't go rubbing dirt in it or something ok?”

He snapped back to attention, a smile quickly settling on his face.

“Of course I won't!” Hibiscuspaw scoffed playfully. A glance at his mentor quickly made his expression fall once again. “He really does hate me doesn't he?”

“You've heard the stories about him, I don't think it's anything personal.” Callamoon reassured, leaning in a bit closer to whisper: “I think he just hates everything.”

Hibiscuspaw smiled slightly at that, uncurling from his slouched position a bit as Swanbite stomped over.

“That's it, we’re gonna spar. C’mon.”

“Spar?!” The apprentice's eyes went wide again. “I know I made you mad but-”

“Not actually!” Swanbite snapped, turning away with an agitated growl. “Hurry up before I die of old age!”

Hibiscuspaw sprang up, chasing after him with a quick “thank you!” before he was out of sight. Curlstar looked after, a nostalgic smile on his muzzle.

“He reminds me of you when you were younger.” Callamoon spoke after a moment. “A little more energetic I think.”

“And a little less of a trouble maker thankfully.” He agreed. Hesitation flashed across his face. “...You don't think they'll kill each other do you?”

“...Probably not.”

StarClan he was gonna kill this kit.

This had to be a cruel twist of fate, maybe he really should've retired. Wasting away in a stale nest filled with ticks would be a mercy compared to this.

Swanbite glanced back, biting back a growl when he noticed Hibiscuspaw trailed off again. He sat a few tail lengths away, closely inspecting some kind of shrub.

“Does this look like the training grounds to you?” Swanbite growled as he got closer.

Hibiscuspaw jumped with a yelp, looking up a little guiltily. Apparently he had been inspecting small yellow buds dotted across the brush.

“Sorry!” He apologized quickly. “It's just Callamoon said she needed more broom-”

“Broom?”

“Yeah! She said it's good for broken bones and stuff, I thought she'd might like to know where it is…”

“Sorry I must be confused. Are you training to be a warrior or a medicine cat?” He turned away without giving him time to respond. “Let's go kit.”

Hibiscuspaw caught up quickly, his lanky form gave Swanbite almost no time to outrun him if he tried.

“I'm not a kit.” He muttered. “I'm almost old enough to be a warrior!”

“Then stop acting like one.” Swanbite bit back.

The grounds coming into sight luckily cut off whatever comeback the younger cat had. It had been ages since Swanbite had been here.

It was just as unremarkable as he remembers, a shallow hollow in the ground with thick brush managing to block some of the wind. Hopefully it would at least tire the kit out so he could get a few hours of peace before sundown.

“Alright! What are we doing first?” Hibiscuspaw bounced in place, launching himself at Swanbite with a half hearted bite at his scruff.

“Get off!” Swanbite grunted with a harsh shake of his fur
to knock him off. “You're going to run through some drills, I'm going to watch from over there.”

Hibiscuspaw deflated at that. “By myself? How is that supposed to help?”

“I'll give you some pointers or something, just go through what Rainfoot taught you.”

Swanbite sighed as he laid down as the apprentice walked away dejected, the ground easing some of the ache in his joints. He watched as the kit fought with air, he had to admit it was a little amusing. He seemed competent enough, maybe he could sneak a quick nap in.

He still just didn't get it. His track record with apprentices was horrible! There were only two kits he didn't mind clambering around. His heart ached at the thought, but it was for the best his kits weren't here. The moors were unforgiving to those raised in the safety of a twolegs nest.

Half-moon was soon, he should visit them…

“You're doing it wrong, it's like this.”

Swanbite cracked an eye open, surprised at the sight of Taipanstrike in the clearing. He was crouched down low, ready to strike, and clearly waiting for Hibiscuspaw to copy him. The younger cat seemed equally surprised and a little unsure, but hesitantly dropped into the same position.

A deputy helping out with training wasn't unheard of he supposed, but Taipanstrike never seemed like the type. He allowed his eyes to slip close as he shifted to get more comfortable. If Taipanstrike wanted to pick up a few extra duties who was he to stop him?

The wind brushed his fur gently, the sun high soaking through his fur until the last chills of leaf fall-retreated, and everything was fine.

Until the sound of a sharp yelp startled him awake.

He shot up quicker then his mind could process, his mind flashing through the possibilities of a rouge or the fox catching up with its escaped prey-

Instead he only saw Taipanstrike. Hibiscuspaw cowering in front of him and guarding his face. The droplets of blood staining the deputy's paw helped him connect the pieces.

“What in StarClans name are you doing?!” Swanbite hissed as he rushed over, roughly shoving Taipanstrike away.

“We're just sparring!” Taipanstrikes fur prickled as he shook the blood from his paw in annoyance. “Rainfoot was always a softie, he needs to toughen up.”

Swanbite glanced back, the weight in his chest almost dispersed when he saw Hibiscuspaw looking back, his eyes wide with fear and blood dripping from his nose.

The fear that weighed him down was instead replaced with a white hot anger as he whirled back.

“Did you smash your head into multiple rocks on the way here?! In what world do you think it's ever ok to lash out at a clanmate, let alone an apprentice!”

Taipainstrike only rolled his eyes. “Would you rather he get maimed the second another clan attacks? We both know ShadowClan loves going after the weak ones first.”

“Oh yes, and we'll prepare him for that, how? But maiming him in our own territory first?!” Swanbite scoffed, nudging Hibiscuspaw onto shaky paws. “I'm sure Curlstar will love to hear about this, let's get out of here kit.”

Hibiscuspaw followed silently, eyes staring at his feet as they left. Swanbite cringed at the trail of blood falling behind them, but he supposed a scarred muzzle would be preferred over a missing eye.

He risked a glance back at Taipanstrike. The deputy stood perched on the hill, the wind ruffling his fur as he silently watched the duos retreat.

“What a freak.” Swanbite muttered. “S’pose we should be glad he's Curlstars first deputy huh?”

Hibiscuspaw glanced up at that. “What do you mean?”

“Curlstars ain't been around long enough to be hunting around Silverpelt anytime soon. Nine lives probably outweighs the duration of one and all that.”

Swanbite shook his fur out in an attempt to dislodge the last of his nerves. “We should try to make it back before him. Callamoons gonna rip your ears off for showing up again so soon, your face is starting to look all mangled.”

The last of the weight in his chest lifts when Hibiscuspaw groans dramatically. “When I told her I should get sick all the time I didn't mean literally! And not because I'm hurt!” He seemed to perk up a bit with a faint smile. “Although if it scars it'll look pretty cool right?”

“Or you'd look like some villainous tyrant.” Swanbite jokes, surprised at how desperate he is to keep the mood light. “Out to take over WindClan by force and become leader of the whole forest.”

Hibiscuspaw laughs, and for a moment Swanbite is able to forget about the snake lurking behind them at the clearing.

“Again?!” Callamoon cried as he stepped in. “What kind of training is he putting you through?!”

Hibiscuspaw laughed a little too forcefully. “The hare wanted revenge I guess.” He feels bad lying, but it's probably some form of treason to go around saying the deputy mauled you isn't it?

Callamoon inspected him closely, clearly not buying his story. He's ready to drop everything and go to the moonstone to sing his praises when Callamoon only sighs and beckons him closer.

“Alright then, but if you get hurt again this moon you're doing your own treatment! StarClan knows you've been around here long enough to pick a few things up.”

He doesn't acknowledge the way his fur stiffens when Taipanstrike returns.

Chapter Text

Curlstar always thought his den was overwhelmingly empty, dust was often the only thing filling the empty space. Yet somehow Taipanstrike seemed to take up the entirety of it. Boiling anger bubbling just below the surface of his fur filled the air with a thick tension, threatening to drown him entirely.

Swanbite had come to him late at night, fur bristling wildly and teeth bared. He demanded that he “shut up for once and listen” and launched into an anger-fueled recollection of the events from the day, from the moment Taipanstrike arrived to the moment he spilled blood.

“Get your mange covered deputy under control before I do it myself!”

And so here he was, getting his definitely not mange infected deputy under control.

Well, that's what he was trying to do.

“I'm just trying to understand as your friend-” Curlstar hesitantly broke the silence. “Why? We're at peace, what made you think something so drastic was right?”

“Peace.” Taipanstrike scoffed. “We're never at peace, you know that as well as I do!”

The deputy started pacing around the space, seemingly making it smaller with each step. His eyes danced from shadow to shadow, as if waiting for hidden enemies to strike.

“Do you hear what they say about us at the gatherings? WindClan is considered weak, they think the only reason we're still here is because of their kindness.”

“I-”

“And yet all of WindClan sings your praises, ‘our unstoppable leader! StarClan themselves guide his paws!’” Taipainstrike mocked. “They act like newborn kits, completely unaware of the hawk circling their heads!”

Taipanstrike whirled in close without warning, ears pinned to the back of his head and something dangerous lurking in his eyes. “Something is coming, think you can handle it, Curlstar?”

“Enough.” Curlstar pushed him back, trying to bury the fear prickling at the end of his fur. “I don't know what's gotten into you, but WindClan won't fall just because of petty gossip!”

“Did you know about the tunnel that leads from WindClan to ShadowClan?” Taipanstrike asked coldy in response.

“There isn't a tunnel like that.” Is all Curlstar can muster, a cold dread pooling in his belly. “That would mean…”

“That ShadowClan can just pop on over whenever they feel like it? Seems you're the only one behind on this, there's already scent trails leading out of them.”

Curlstar forced himself to reel in his panicked thoughts. WindClan was his pride and joy, but even he wasn't prideful enough to ignore the threat ShadowClan posed.

“For they slither in flame soaked dirt,” Callamoons warning echoed in his head. That could be a good place to start.

“I think I'd like to talk to Callamoon before-”

“Really? The half trained medicine cat? You trust someone who was mentored by a rock over your own deputy?”

Curlstar snapped his mouth shut, torn between defending her and trying not to make this an even bigger mess.

He shook his head clear. They would only be checking, he'd make sure everyone stayed on their side of the border. If ShadowClan got upset at that then something was definitely afoot.

“Tomorrow at sunrise,” Something twisted in his gut, screaming that this was wrong. “I want you to lead a patrol to the tunnel. I'll decide who goes.”

The tense energy immediately dispersed from Taipanstrike, a sort of smug satisfaction taking over. “I knew you'd understand.”

“Of course. We can handle anything as long as we work together.” He replied meekly, the sentiment felt hollow.

The feeling of unease didn't leave when Taipanstrike did, it only seemed to intensify.

He wasn't a stranger to Taipanstrikes emotional tendencies, he'd had plenty of practice from when they were apprentices. One minute they'd be laughing and hunting, and the next he'd be storming off because of a “stolen kill”.

So why did this time feel so different?

He hated to admit it, but some cynical part of him agreed with Taipanstrike. No one could disagree that Callamoon did the best she could, but can you really learn everything when your mentor dies halfway through training? Half-moon visits to train with ghosts only did so much compared to experience.

Yet she’d never steered him wrong, so she had to be onto something. Even at his worst Curlstar was confident in Taipanstrikes loyalty.

A halfway right answer only leaves halfway answered questions, as Callamoon loved to say.

StarClan loved its metaphors and useless goose chases, who's to say the snake wasn't as literal as it seemed? ShadowClans leader had always seemed gentle and honest, if they were using the tunnels then the answer seemed obvious.

Curlstar groaned as he flopped onto his belly, his mood only soured more when dust settled in his fur.

No time for riddles, tomorrow was gonna be a long day.

He had to admit, he didn't consider how the atmosphere would be when he picked the patrol.

His and Taipanstrikes involvement was obvious, and Swanbite seemed like the next logical conclusion as the most experienced tunnel digger. Of course why not bring along his apprentice? It would be great experience! Except Curlstar forgot Hibiscuspaw was still terrified of Taipanstrike, and Swanbite didn't seem over the incident either.

Things only got better when Callamoon took one look at them and insisted she tag along. Needing herbs in that part of the moor was her excuse, but the flat look she gave him told him all he needed to know.

The walk their had been silent and tense. Any attempt Curlstar made at a light hearted chat was immediately shut down. Hibiscuspaw at least tried to engage, but would immediately clamp up at a glance from Taipanstrike.

“Here.” Taipanstrike stopped so suddenly Curlstar almost crashed into him, leaving Hibiscuspaw unprepared for his stop and stomping on his tail.

“I'm so sorry!” Hibiscuspaw yelped.

“It's fine…” Curlstar gritted out, aiming for a reassuring smile that ended up more as a grimace. He shook his tail out as he turned to the entrance of the tunnel.

It sat in a deeper valley, the area devoid of any signs of life. Cats and prey alike tended to avoid this part of the moor. The sudden steepness of the hills left the area prone to flash flooding, ensuring anything that lived there wouldn't want to stick around for much longer.

Taipanstrike started down the slope without hesitation even as Curlstar struggled to make out the entrance. The bottom of the hills were overgrown with thick bushes and tall grass, the barest hints of a tunnel nestled right at the bottom.

Curlstar chose to be a moor runner for a reason; something about standing in the tunnel's entrance made his skin crawl. He shivered as stale damp air brushed against his whiskers.

“Um, are you sure this is ShadowClans scent?” Hibiscuspaw piped up. “It smells more like rotten crow…”

Curlstar noticed it too, while it definitely had hints of ShadowClan something seemed distinctly off about whatever scent led into the tunnel.

“Isn't that what every ShadowClan cat smells like?” Taipanstrike retorted with a roll of his eyes. “Besides, you could just be smelling prey they stole or something.”

From the looks of everyone else Curlstar was the only one who was convinced. He had to resist the urge to claw his own whiskers off. Stupid! Maybe think more about your clanmates than some dead cats riddles! His mind hissed.

“Swanbite? Any thoughts?” He tried instead.

“Several. Not any you're interested in though.”

“Great.”

Safe to assume the tunnel was from before Swanbites time then, unless he was just being petty to get back at him. He was starting to realize this might've been the worst waste of time he's ever organized.

“We should go in and make sure they're not hanging around.” Taipanstrike chimed in.

Curlstar eyed the tunnel again; the entrance was rather low and threatened to cave in at any moment.

“Swanbite?” Curlstar tried again desperately.

“It's… not the worst idea.” Swanbite bit out. “But not a good one either, the entrance seems pretty weak.”

“So we'll be careful.” Taipanstrike countered. “I only went so far as our own border, we should see if it actually opens in ShadowClan territory or not.”

Curlstar risked a glance at Callamoon. She acted rather uninterested, but her eyes drilled holes into him.

“I gave you my advice.” Is all she surrendered. ‘Time to prove if you trust me or not’ went unspoken.

“...Only to the border for now.”

Callamoons face fell only by a fraction. Even without speaking the “Wrong choice.” echoed between them.

“Swanbite can go first.” Taipanstrike offered.

The older warrior grumbled but followed along. Hibiscuspaw started to follow as well, stopping as the entrance hung over him.

“C’mon kit! You wanna be a tunneler don’t ya?” Swanbite gruffed. The apprentice only eyed the looming darkness wearily, a hum bordering on a whine low in his throat.

Right, Rainfoot had mentioned this at some point hadn't she?

Curlstar padded closer. “Y’know, tunnels kinda make me nervous too.” He said quietly.

“Really?” He looked up at him with wide eyes, looking just as lost as before.

“Swanbites the best there is, and neither me or Taipanstrike would encourage it if we thought it was too dangerous.” It was meant to be reassuring, but some hesitancy seemed to return.

“You're… probably right.” He breathed in as if he was about to dive underwater and disappeared within the darkness.

“I hope you mean that.” Callamoon muttered as she walked past; barley offering him a glance.

“After you Taipanstrike.” Curlstar said with an overly dramatic bow of his head.

“It would be my honor.” He snarked back.

Some of his own nerves returned as darkness overcame his vision; only guided by the scrape of dirt against his whiskers and the soft thumps of Taipanstrikes paws.

“Almost there-” Taipanstrike called out.

Something knocked his paws from underneath him, sending him stumbling into the wall with a huff. His heart dropped at the sound of something giving, the rumbling of earth filling his ears.

“Hurry up!”

Swanbites voice snapped him back to focus. Flecks of dirt pounded against his head as he ran, Taipanstrikes frantic running not far in front of him.

Suddenly darkness was replaced with the outline of his deputy, the stale air becoming just a little fresher. He'd almost made it, if he could just manage-

He stumbled. It only took a split second for him to recover. His front paws barely scrapped against the caverns softer ground when something crashed into him.

A loud crack immediately followed by a blinding hot pain knocked the breath out of him. He fell to the ground as dirt and rock collapsed against him, the outlines of his clanmates quickly obscured in the rubble.

The last thing he sees is Taipanstrike staring directly at him, motionless despite the flurry of activity around him.

Wrong choice. Is the last thing to echo in his mind as the earth drags him under.

Chapter Text

“...rlstar..”

Flame consumes all around him, ash coats his tongue and smothers his senses. The world around him is quiet now; his downfall is the only spectacle worth watching down here.

Something deep in his soul urges him to open his eyes despite the blaring light. The vague feeling of stardust and ancient soil guides him through the unusually hard motion.

Blood. But not his.

The bodies of his clanmates lay around him. The flame was too bright to make out their distinct features but the heavy scent of their grief and anger is enough to choke him. Their blood coats his paws, except one cat seems to be missing in the carnage.

“Cu…star!”

Someone's standing over him, soulless eyes only watch as their clanmates burn.

“Such a shame, isn't it Burnstrike?”

He opened his mouth in an attempt to ask who Burnstrike is, but the only thing he can manage is a strangled wheeze.

The cat leans in closer, a flash of brown eyes-

“Curlstar!”

Curlstar jolted awake with the scent of blood still in his nose and a burning pain in his paw. Taipanstrike is leaning in way to close -supposedly the one who yelled in his ear- while Callamoon peers over his shoulder with a slight disapproving frown.

Callamoon sighed in relief as she gently redirected the deputy away. “Curlstar, how do you feel?”

He blinks once, his brain still desperately trying to catch up, before taking a moment to examine his surroundings.

They were in the tunnels. He vaguely remembers the cave-in, which is the exact moment his brain decided to remind him about his leg. Callamoon is still watching him expectantly while Taipanstrike shifts his weight in his paws, clearly eager to get moving.

“Wait!” his heart jolts at the realization. “Where's-”

“Swanbite and Hibiscuspaw are scouting ahead a little.” Callamoon cuts off gently. “But I need to know how you feel.”

“My back leg feels pretty messed up.” Curlstar admits after a moment; an attempt to stretch it out makes him hiss in pain.

“That makes sense,” Callamoon nods. “Anything else? How's your head?”

“...Fine?” Half a lie. His head does hurt, but nothing worth losing sleep over.

“We should get moving if we want to be out by sunset.” Taipanstrike cuts off Callamoons attempt at pressing further.

Curlstar twists around to inspect his leg, grimacing at the awkward angle his paws twisted at. He tries to stand but any attempt to put weight on that paw is unsuccessful.

“I asked Hibiscuspaw to look out for anything that can help.” Callamoon says. “We’ll have to wait a moment before we can even think about moving.”

“Isn't he training to be a tunnel digger? Why is he running your errands?” Taipanstrike asks as if he's been offended.

Callamoon, to her credit, brushes it off with a roll of her eyes. “He's stressed and needed a distraction while I needed to make sure Curlstar woke up. Anyone can find sticks and cobwebs.”

“Makes sense, he always seemed a bit too soft for any real work.” Something about Taipanstrikes tone is dark. For a brief moment Curlstar swears the tang of ash hangs in the air.

“Taipanstrike-” He begins to warn, only to be interrupted by a ball of fur bursting through another tunnel.

“Callamoon! We're back!”

If he ignores the forced cheer to his voice Hibiscuspaw almost seems normal. He walks with his head held high, proudly presenting his bundle of cobwebs and sticks to Callamoon. Swanbite lumbers in after him, ever present scowl even deeper.

“Curlstar!” Some of the cheer seems to turn genuine when Hibiscuspaw notices him. “I thought you were right behind us and all of a sudden the whole tunnels collapsed! I helped Swanbite dig you out though.” He adds the last part with his chest puffed proudly.

“As if.” Swanbite cuts in as he walks up. “You have dainty little paws for running, might as well have had a kitten helping me instead.”

There's a lack of the usual bite to his words, his tone more light and teasing than actual criticism.

“Untrue!” He sat with a huff, his tail quickly curling around over his paws. “Rainfoot said I have paws perfect for accuracy and speed!”

“Which would be a lot more helpful if we were carving pretty sculptures instead of actual work.” Swanbite counters. Curlstar swears he sees fondness twinkling in the older cats eyes.

“Well I appreciate the help, I'm sure without you I'd still be stuck!” Partly an exaggeration, but it's worth it to see the apprentice smile genuinely.

“Careful, he might get a bit of an ego if you indulge him.” Callamoon teases around the webs in her mouth as she pokes at his leg; carefully lining up sticks on either side.

“Wooow. I'm not helping any of you the next time you get stuck!” Hibiscuspaw feigns a hurt expression.

“Hopefully this is the last time anyone gets stuck.” Taipanstrike chimes in.

“Speaking of,” Curlstar hates to ruin the mood, but they have to get moving. “How did it look?”

Hibiscuspaw deflates a bit as Swanbite sighs. “Not great, we didn't want to risk getting lost but the tunnels here seem pretty expansive.”

“That weird scent is all over the place too…” Hibiscuspaw offers hesitantly. “If anyone else was down here they'd been just as lost as we are.”

“We should still take it slow, but this should help a little.” Callamoon says as finishes wrapping his leg. He looks back to see a makeshift splint, two long sticks supporting his leg with cobwebs holding it in place.

Curlstar reluctantly pushed himself back to his feet, gingerly placing his paw back to the ground. He's pleasantly surprised to find the pain to be minimal.

“I could walk all the way to the moonstone with this! Nice work.”

“Well let's just aim for walking back to camp first, but thank you.” Callamoon replies with a small smile. “We can go whenever you're ready.”

Swanbite wasn't joking when he said the tunnels were a maze. The damp air only grew more heavy as they walked, Curlstars leg setting them at a snail's pace. Little sprouts of greenery would force their way through the earth occasionally. The distant sound of skittering prey and their own paws scraping against the ground was the only thing to break up the silence.

Any positive energy had quickly nose dived by the fourth dead end.

“That rock looks new.” Hibiscuspaw broke up the silence, practically bouncing in place with unspent energy.

“Right, that's so helpful. Remind me to have you inspect the dirt patterns next.” Taipanstrike snapped.

“Back off mangey.” Swanbite growled. “Friendly reminder this whole thing was your idea.”

“I'm not the one who made the tunnel collapse.” Taipanstrike bit back as he glanced in Curlstars direction with a pointed look.

It felt like the air had been sucked from his lungs. Was he really trying to pin the whole thing on him?

“Something knocked into me! You were in front the whole time.” Curlstar tried to keep his tone light despite the storm of emotions coursing through him.

“Besides, that sounds kinda treasonous to me.” Swanbite jeered.

Hibiscuspaw butted in again, probably in an attempt to stop their squabble, but Curlstar allowed himself to sink into his own mind.

The two of them had been friends since they were apprentices. Taipanstrike had been a scrawny rogue living off rats and two-leg garbage, but he believed in Curlstar and followed him to WindClan. Sure, he could be a bit prickly at times, but who wasn't?

Did all those years of friendship really mean nothing? How could he so easily believe Curlstar did it on purpose?

“Wait! There's fresh air!” Hibiscuspaw snapped him out of his thoughts as he bolted past, disappearing around the bend.

“I told you don't run when you don't know where it leads!” Swanbite yelled after him, only putting in the bare amount to increase his pace.

Curlstar strained his senses; past the dampness of the soil he could catch the slightest hint of open air.

“Kits sure gotta nose on him.” Curlstar muttered to no one in particular.

“Maybe I should steal him and train him to sniff out herbs for me.” Callamoon agreed as she appeared at his side. “I'm just glad this is over, I hate being underground.”

“For StarClans sake! This has to be some cruel joke!”

They glanced at each other at the sound of Taipanstrikes angry shout. Curlstar shuffled along as fast as he could manage, praying with everything he had left that he'd be greeted with sunlight-

And he was. But not in the way he hoped for.

The three stood in a wide chamber, a gaping hole in the ceiling allowing for the dying sun and air to sneak in. This wasn't a exit, just another part of the seemingly endless tunnels.

Hibiscuspaw sat mournfully in the middle, gazing up into the sky as if StarClan would come rescue him.

“I don't think we're in any Clans territory anymore.” He muttered.

“Anywhere the stars can see us StarClan can too.” Callamoon reassured him.

“Like that helps us at all.” Taipanstrike said with a roll of his eyes.

Callamoon only shot Curlstar a look. 'You're the leader, you made this choice. Handle it.’ went unspoken.

He took another moment to observe his surroundings. The sun would be below the horizon by now and darkness was quickly enveloping the tunnels. The darkness brought with it a chill that settled deep in his bones.

“I think it's safest to stay here for tonight.” Curlstar ignored the various levels of dismay from his clanmates. “We have fresh air, prey, and a place to sleep. It's not ideal but we can handle it.”

“There's a few herbs too.” Callamoon pointed out.

“I'll go hunt.” Taipanstrike cut in, striding off before getting a answer.

“...And the rest of us can get ready for the night.” Curlstar finished.

After a bit of talk they decided to nestle their sleeping spots against the wall of the cavern, far enough away from the hole to protect against the chill without sacrificing their fresh air or view of the sky.

Taipanstrike eventually returned with three scrawny mice. There was no sharing tongues after they ate in silence, it felt pointless when they were so isolated from the rest of WindClan.

Curlstar glanced up at the stars one more time. They granted him no wisdom, no cat of stardust came to his rescue, they just twinkled emotionlessly.

Hibiscuspaw had slunk away from them surprisingly early, curling up miserably pressed against the wall. As the moon climbed higher the night only grew colder, the apprentice shivering so much he almost made the ground vibrate.

Swanbite strode past him with a huff, flopping down unceremoniously next to the apprentice and practically enveloping him in fur. Hibiscuspaw huffed at the weight, but made no move to push him off.

Callamoon hesitantly came up as well, snuggling in and hiding the apprentice from sight. She glanced back at Curlstar, her head tilted in a silent invitation.

It was cold, and their youngest was suffering, who was he to refuse the call of duty?

That's how he rationalized it to himself as he joined in, his heart immediately full. His den was supposed to symbolize his position above everything, always able to handle whatever's been thrown his way. But he'd be lying if he didn't miss the warmth of the warriors' den.

Taipanstrike obviously didn't share this sentiment. Taking one look at them and scoffing before curling up on his own. Close enough to touch if he tried, but far away to not get entangled.

The warmth quickly drained any energy he had left. With a content sigh he allowed himself to slip away. He just prayed tonight would not be marked with more dreams of ash and blood.

Chapter Text

“It's dawn. Get up.”

Hibiscuspaw groaned as something prodded at his side. The blanket of warmth had notably lost something, the cold morning air nipping at the exposed parts of his fur. He ignored the continuous poking and huddled in closer; since when had the apprentices den been so cold?

“Hibiscuspaw! If you want to live down here that's fine with me, but at least help the rest of us out!”

Oh, right. The apprentice's den was probably warm and cozy with the snoring bodies of his clanmates, but he wouldn't know since he was stranded under the outskirts of the Clans.

Which was fine. He wasn't freaking out about it at all!

Hibiscuspaw forced his eyes open just to confirm that it really wasn't a nightmare, trying his best to swallow down the bitterness when he was greeted with the sight of Swanbite standing over him and dirt above their heads.

He liked Swanbite, really! He just hated being in the tunnels, which really sucked considering the circumstances!

His dad had loved it though, always coming back telling him stories of weird bugs he found and “listening to the song of the earth” or any other poetic thoughts he had. His mom had found his love of the dirt under his paws endearing despite being a moor runner, and not so subtly tried to push Hibiscuspaw down that path too.

So he liked Swanbite, he wasn't as mean as he'd seemed, but he'd rather claw his ears off then spend another day down here. The all encompassing earth his father loved seemed to only threaten to suffocate him, burying him before he could utter a single plea.

He'd never admit it, but seeing the sky above them and no way to access it had felt almost demeaning, so close and yet so far away. The feeling had overwhelmed him to the point he'd rather turn in early and stare at the dirt he hated so much then be reminded of the freedom above.

Hibiscuspaw scrambled up and shook the dirt off, taking a quick peek around their makeshift camp. The sun that would be lighting up the moors wouldn't reach them down here for a while, but some of its light managed to lessen the shadows that seemed to taunt him the night before.

Callamoon had been curled by his side, roused awake by his less than graceful attempt to stand, while Taipanstrike still laid curled into a tight ball off by himself.

“Where's Curlstar?” Hibiscuspaw whispered, confused at their leader.

“He's off wondering.” Swanbite grumbled back, not quite putting in the effort to lower his voice.

“Absolutely not, I'll be back.” Callamoon replied sleepily as she stretched. Quietly walking away with an equally quiet “I told that mouse brain he could only rest today.”

“While she's wrangling in the orange puffball we get the honor of going back to the tunnel entrance.” Swanbite continued unphased. “C’mon kit, lets see if we can dig our way out.”

Hibiscuspaw groaned but ultimately followed his mentor, it was just stupid dirt anyways. It wouldn't hurt him as long as he didn't let it!

Was this some sort of divine torment? Swanbite had been joking about him looking like a evil tyrant before, but maybe he really had been one in a past life and this was his punishment-

Anything to explain this.

It's his own fault really, Swanbite specifically told him not to start digging until he was absolutely sure it would hold. Part of the entrance had just seemed like it would fall away so easily! Being so close to freedom reminded him just how trapped he felt, he didn't stop to think about what else would give way.

And so with a split second of the world spinning and the feeling of his chest being crushed he found himself stuck in rubble and his worst enemy- dirt.

If he didn't like it before he despised it now; luckily Swanbite ripping his head off was enough of a distraction to keep his mind off the feeling of his limbs immobilized and probably imagined ants crawling through his fur.

But his mentor couldn't manage it alone and left to get more paws, even going so far as to say “Don't move!” before he left.

So now here he was, and he was handling it really well! If he counted the grains of dirt embedded into his paw pads he could almost forget about the crushing weight surrounding him on all sides! Almost!

“...I can definitely see the issue here.”

His head snapped up to a frustratingly amused Curlstar, who was clearly going through great lengths to hide said amusement. At least someone was having fun.

“Maybe this'll teach you to stop poking around where you're not supposed to.” Swanbite snarled.

“...Probably not.” Hibiscuspaw muttered to himself as he let his head flop down.

“What was that?”

“I said for sure! Won't happen again boss.”

“Yeah right.” Swanbite rolled his eyes but luckily decided to put him out of his misery.

Hibiscuspaw let his mind drift to the sounds of the two older cats scraping away at his prison. His attempt to help hadn't even gained him anything but embarrassment, if anything now there was more dirt to dig through.

Would it be better to die here soon or live out the rest of his life on half starved cave mice and cats years older than him? Would Curlstar give him his warrior name?

Curlstar “accidentally” poked him in the cheek as he cleared dirt from around his neck. “You haven't suffocated yet have you?” He asked lightly, a soft smile and a clear escape.

“Not yet.” Was all he could manage. “My warrior names not gonna be like ‘Tunnelcollaspe’ now or something is it?”

“Hey that's not a half bad idea.” Swanbite grunted from where he worked. “A permanent reminder about why it's important to listen to your mentor!”

“That would be a bit too mean I think.” Curlstar replied with a genuinely contemplative look. “I think being half buried under rubble is enough punishment for now.”

The more the weight lessened the more restlessness he felt, he was never going into a tunnel again after this.

Finally he was able to pull his paws out and stumble forward, almost falling flat on his face at the bottom of the pile. Unfortunately for everyone involved his large ears couldn't miss the quiet chuckle from either cat.

He shook his fur out more aggressively than needed, gaining a little satisfaction in the coughs and sneezes of the first two at the cloud of dirt he'd made.

“Alright, alright!” Swanbite swatted him half heartedly over the head, mirth tugging at the corners of his eyes. “You've made your point, we won't name you Tunnelcollaspe. This time.”

“Only time will tell though.” Curlstar added, nodding to his own words solemnly. He dropped the act a little, peeking an eye open to observe him. “You're feeling ok though?”

Hibiscuspaw shook himself again, more to get rid of the clinging nerves then anything else, taking note of the ache pulling at his bones. “Fine, just a little sore I guess.”

“I'm not surprised, dirts pretty heavy. Especially when it's coming at you at the same speed as a monster.” Swanbite said. “Let's have Callamoon check you out anyways yea?”

Hibiscuspaw bounded after his mentor, relishing at being able to do so. “The same speed as a monster? Have you seen one before?”

“Seen one? I've been in one!”

The last of his nerves seemed to drop away at that. “No way! What is it like? Do the two legs really climb into their bellies?”

Their trip back was slow and dirt still stubbornly remained in his fur, but with his mentor's stories he found he didn't mind the journey as much.

“Hibiscuspaw you're killing me, you realize that right? I'm going to have a heart attack and die.”

“It's fine, really!” Hibiscuspaw gently batted away Callamoons paw from poking at the same bruise.

Callamoon hummed as she inspected him closely, scrutinizing every fleck of dirt still clinging to him. “...Fine. I believe you, but make sure to clean those cuts from before ok? They're not fully healed and the last thing you need is an infection.”

Hibiscuspaw nodded dutifully, walking off before she could keep prodding to settle beside Swanbite and begin his task.

As he swiped at the dirt on his muzzle he noticed Taipanstrike and Curlstar huddled together on the other side of the cavern. What he'd mistaken for a friendly conversation seemed to turn sour was the deputy's face scrunched up in frustration.

Taipanstrike was…confusing, if he had to settle on a word. He'd been deputy for as long as he can remember, and while he wasn't as friendly and outgoing as their leader, he'd never been outright cruel either.

Hibiscuspaw was always a little wary of him, but it was always out of respect rather than fear. He'd just seemed as untouchable as Curlstar, two cats with so much responsibility that Hibiscuspaw would never be on their radar.

Which was fine, he had no longing for power greater than himself or whatever the elders were always calling it, but now it leaves him wondering why Taipanstrike had lashed out in the training hollow.

He doesn't think he'd done anything to upset the older cat beforehand, and he'd been trying really hard to pay attention and take in everything Taipanstrike showed him. Everything had seemed perfectly fine, until his own blood was staining the ground and the deputy towered over him with cold, unfeeling eyes.

“Useless.”

Swanbite bumped his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts to focus on not falling face first into the dirt.

“Can you stop doing that?” Swanbite grumbled.

“What?”

“That freakish blank stare you keep gettin, you look like an owl plotting to swoop up our clanmates.”

Hibiscuspaw started to ask what on earth he meant by that when Curlstar called them over, moving away from a very upset looking Taipanstrike.

“So the way we came is a no go,” He started. “and the tunnels further in seem rather expansive. I think it's time we start planning like we're gonna be down here a while.”

“There's a few basic herbs growing down here, but with leaf-bare fast approaching they don't last long.” Callamoon said, nervously glancing at the small pile she'd manage to scavenge.

“And we won't know what the prey situation will look like by then.” Swanbite added. “But all that doesn't matter without water.”

“While your apprentice was pretending to be a worm I went further into the tunnels. I heard a underground river nearby but couldn't find it.” Taipanstrike said with a glance at Hibiscuspaw.

“Um,” Hibiscuspaw chimed in nervously, his courage dying a bit when they all turned to look at him. “We can dig holes under the cavern opening, if it rains it might collect water, right?”

Hibiscuspaw risked a glance at Swanbite, who met his gaze with the smallest hint of a smile. “Not a half bad idea kit, now you're thinking like a tunneler.”

Hibiscuspaw smiled back, trying to hide his giddiness as pride bloomed in his chest. Maybe he wouldn't get a mean-spirited warrior name after all.

“Swanbites right, why don't you two start on that while the rest of us go look for the-”

“I don't need help.” Taipanstrike interrupted. “You'll both just slow me down.”

Curlstar blinked with owlishly large eyes, clearly caught off guard. It only lasted for a moment, the mask of a confident leader quickly slipping back into place. “Sure. That's fine. Callamoon can look for more herbs and I'll stay here and help.”

Taipanstrike grunted in acknowledgment before walking away.

“He really likes to just walk away without saying anything huh?” Hibiscuspaw said to no one in particular, receiving a firm but harmless wack to the head by Swanbite.

“Keep talking like that and you'll get exiled for treason.” Swanbite leaned in a bit closer, his voice low so only he could hear it. “But he totally does, thinks he's too good for a proper goodbye.”

Hibiscuspaw snickered, quickly stifling it when Curlstar shot him a knowing look.

“No point in sitting around then, let's get started.”

They broke away from their small meeting. Hibiscuspaw found that while it was originally his idea there was no way he could keep up with Swanbites pace, the pads of his paws quickly growing sore and raw.

“I told you to use your claws to help mouse brain.” Swanbite grumbled. “Take a break and go see if Callamoon needs anything.”

So with that he bounced to wherever they were needed, switching between digging multiple shallow holes throughout the cavern or sniffing out a herb Callamoon just couldn't seem to pinpoint. Curlstar had tried to help initially, but was quickly shooed away to rest and watch over them.

It was nice in a way, to have a distraction.

Eventually something else joined in the scent of constant dirt and dampness, something Hibiscuspaw couldn't really figure out. While faint it hung in his nose heavily, making his eyes water at the stung.

“Do you guys smell that too?”

Everyone paused, taking a moment to sniff at the air. Hibiscuspaw cringed when the scent got stronger. Something seemed to click as Curlstar shot up from where he'd been laying down, his afternoon laze forgotten.

“Smoke? Do you think it's on the moor?” Callamoon asked.

“I'm… not sure.” Curlstar admitted, craning his neck to try to catch a glimpse of the outside world. “I think it's too close by.”

He stilled at that, looking wildly around the camp. Smoke
had started to seep from the tunnels, light gray whisps clawing its way to freedom.

“Where's Taipanstrike?”

Chapter Text

Smoke filled the tunnel, weighing heavily in his lungs and threatening to suffocate him completely. Curlstar pushed on despite his chest screaming in protest- his leg adding its own complaints with sharp pains at every footfall.

The light was almost blinding as he entered a new cavern, the smoke increasing tenfold. Flame engulfed everything he could see, licking the ceiling and leaving black tar behind. A river cut through it all, its quiet melody now taunting in the midst of chaos.

“Taipanstrike!” He called out desperately, darting as close as he dared to the fire. Curlstar grimaced when the heat hit him, but desperately looked around for a glimpse of gray fur.

“Curlstar? What are you doing?!”

Taipanstrike popped up close to the shore of the river, fur wild and unkempt but seemingly ok.

“I should be asking you that! Let's go!”

Taipanstrike remained rooted in place.

“I have everything under control, Curlstar. Just go.” His voice was even despite the circumstances in a way Curlstar hadn't heard before. Cold and calculating.

“What? Taipanstrike-?”

Something rumbled in the earth above them, the cavern's ceiling groaning in protest. Part of it shifted above Taipanstrike, almost as if it was about to-

“Look out!”

Curlstar bounded forward, leaping through the flames to get to Taipanstrike. He crashed into the deputy without warning just as something above gave way.

His leg gave out as they both crashed to the ground, Taipanstrike a few feet in front of him.

He pushed himself up quickly, trying to move away-

Curlstars world exploded into searing pain and burning fur.

Callamoon knew what her clanmates thought of her. She knew the whispers of her untraditional mentorship passed between them, each iteration becoming more and more removed from the truth with each day. She was WindClans only medicine cat, and very few trusted her with the title.

But after her mentor's sudden death halfway through her apprenticeship she'd dedicated her life to herbs and stars. She climbed time after time to the moonstone so much she could recreate every crack and duvet with ease.

StarClan guided her paws; Callamoon knew that.

Yet the smell of burning flesh and a writhing body meant to be her leader had managed to drain all of her confidence.

They'd all heard the screaming before they saw Taipanstrike return. That alone would haunt her, a scream so guttural and raw she was convinced it couldn't come from a cat, let alone Curlstar.

The sight of him lounging in the warmth of the sun seemed like a lifetime ago. She'd hardly recognized the thing in Taipanstrikes jaws as Curlstar.

Thankfully he's passed out now, maybe she should feel guilty for being grateful about that. Most of his skin had been burned off, a bit of fur clinging stubbornly and contrasting starkly to the other side of his body.

He'd stilled at her paws four times in her desperate battle to keep him afloat. Four lives lost and all StarClan could manage was stopping the worst of the bleeding.

Even if they had managed to heal everything she doubted life would return to normal. His spine had been crushed, his lower body would most likely be paralyzed permanently, something even StarClan couldn't touch.

Callamoon shook the image of her leader from her mind. She was out here to clear her head, not cloud it further. Hibiscuspaw had offered to sit with him, but Swanbite took his place and sent him away to “hunt.”

The smoke had long since stopped, so Callamoon took the chance to follow Taipanstrikes directions to the river. Curlstars blood coated her fur, and she was desperate to remove the tacky feeling and bury the entire memory into the deepest part of her mind.

The rushing sound of water cut through the silence. A bit of warmth heated her paws as she walked over the darkened earth, smoke and blood still lingering in the air. She grimaced as the freezing water lapped at her paws, but gave herself no time to hesitate as she dove in.

The cold knocked the air from her lungs, but she found herself accumulating quickly. Callamoon made quick work at the clumps of blood, guilt clawing at her as she stained the pristine water red.

Callamoon waded to the more shallow bank but made no move to leave. Instead she let the water run past her paws and drag away the last of her dark thoughts.

She was WindClans only medicine cat. She wouldn't fail them no matter how little faith they held in her.

She took a deep breath, stopping curiously when a new scent mingled with the air. Not the ashy scent of smoke or iron tang of blood, but something almost decaying.

Callamoon observed her surroundings closely this time, noticing a dark lump nestled in a small hollow of the floor. She reluctantly left the coolness of the river, craning her neck to get a better look.

Something crashed into her, sharp pain blossoming in the side of her neck as she fell to the ground.

Her paws scrambled at the earth, desperately trying to twist around and get a swipe at her attacker. How was anyone else done here? Who-

Her thoughts were cut off as she was released, a paw slamming into her shoulders before she could launch herself at them.

“Callamoon.”

She froze at the familiar hiss. Callamoon carefully craned her head to get a glimpse of gray fur and brown eyes.

“You shouldn't mess with things you don't understand.” Taipanstrike said coldly. “Who knows what would happen if you ingested ash?”

Part of her wanted to snap back, to argue and demand to see what he was hiding. The blood dripping down her neck quickly reminded her to mind her words.

“...I'm sure you're right.” Callamoon muttered reluctantly. The deputy offered no resistance as she stood up this time. “A verbal warning would be fine next time.”

Taipanstrike eyed her for a moment, searching for any sign of weakness. “I'll keep that in mind.”

“Good.” Her heart threatened to give out with how fast it was beating. She prayed he couldn't tell. “I'll be back soon, I need to bring water back for Curlstar.”

Not a complete lie, but she would take any reason to get him to just leave.

“Don't be long. He's your responsibility now, Callamoon.”
He said gruffly as he left, sparing her no second glance.

She practically collapsed to the dirt once he was out of sight. Paws trembling so much part of her worried she'd cause another cave in.

Dismay twisted in her belly as she thought back to her last visit with StarClan. Visions of snakes and fire and death, all things Curlstar brushed off.

She sighed, sneezing when it kicked up ash and dirt. Callamoon could break down every single part of a prophecy, make it as clear as day, but it didn't matter if no one took her seriously.

And now Curlstar was the one to pay the unfairly cruel price. All Callamoon could do was pray he could hang on long enough to escape.

StarClan could not guide her paws so far underground, but that didn't mean she couldn't guide the paws of her clanmates. They would escape, she would make sure of it.

Even if the snake laid in their nests at night.

Swanbite knew something was going on. He just didn't know what.

Taipanstrike returned from his “walk”, blood clinging to his fur and a story of a mouse escaping his teeth before he could kill it off. He was wound up tight, a dangerous nervous energy so densely compact anything could set it off. Every movement from Curlstar and Taipanstrike was immediately at his side, his body language seemingly worried while his eyes glistened with something unknownable.

Callamoon returned quietly with moss hanging from her jaws. He almost didn't notice the thin puncture marks by her throat under her thick fur, but any concern was quickly brushed off. Hibiscuspaw came back soon after, walking with his head held high to show off the crow dangling from his mouth.

Swanbite was impressed by the fact he'd caught a bird down here, but Taiapnstrike didn't seem to agree. He instead stomped up to the apprentice, fur bristling and eyes wild.

“Where did you get that?!” Taipanstrike hissed, leaning in dangerously close.

Hibiscuspaw stared helplessly with wide eyes, his gaze bouncing between the deputy and Swanbite.

“I think it lives here, it had a nest and everything-”

“So it was alive?” There was a desperate edge to his voice, his cold demeanor unraveling before them all.

“Yes…? Why would I bring back crowfood?” Hibiscuspaws fear seemed to be replaced with annoyance. He stood straighter, letting the crow fall to his paws. “If you don't want it, that's fine! But don't chew my ears off because it's not your favorite.”

Swanbite couldn't help a shadow of pride coming over him when the deputy started floundering for the reason of his outburst. Hibiscuspaw rolled his eyes when he got no answer, picking up his prize and leaving the deputy on his own.

“Thank you, I'm surprised you found something like that.” Callamoon said politely as he dropped it at their feet.

“I know right? Maybe we'll get lucky and find a hare!” Hibiscuspaw replied with a smile.

“Right, and then it can almost claw your eyes out again.” Swanbite added, risking a glance at the deputy behind them. Taipanstrike stood motionless, watching them silently like he was stalking a mouse.

Curlstar shifted, a low wheeze escaping from his throat. His eye shot open, shooting around desperately in search of something, before he stilled completely.

“That's five now.” Callamoon muttered, her own grief thinly veiled.

“There's so much you can do down here.” Swanbite stated. “We can only hope whatever happens is quick and painless.”

The air grew heavy as they fell into silence. As horrible as it sounded, Swanbite hoped StarClan wouldn't bring their leader back.

He liked him well enough, although he was a bit of a pushover, but it would be a mercy to strip Curlstar of his final lives. No cat deserved to live their life like this, not down here.

“Four lives left.” Taipanstrike spoke suddenly, breaking their unsaid vigil.

“The rate that he's losing them seems to be slowing down.” Callamoon replied, not meeting his eyes when his gaze snapped towards her. “But I could stop it entirely if we were at camp.”

The sun started to sip below the horizon. The air grew colder as Taipanstrike held his head high.

“It's my duty as a deputy to take responsibility once Curlstar dies.” His voice was heavy, but something like excitement seemed to sparkle in his eyes.

“I'll get us out. I'll go to the moonstone and receive my nine lives, and become the best leader WindClans ever witnessed.”

Callamoon stilled, a look of pure horror quickly snuffed out in favor of staring at her paws. Curlstar jolted suddenly, his wheezing breaths once again filling the silence.

Swanbite was old, but he wasn't stupid. He knew something was wrong, and he'd figure out what.

Chapter Text

Hibiscuspaw peered into the darkness before him. It seemed to drag on endlessly, threatening to trickle out and swallow him whole. Apprehension prickled along his spine as he warily sniffed at it, but it brought him no answers. Maybe if he-

“Absolutely not.”

He yelped in alarm as teeth sunk into the scruff of his neck, tossing him onto his back. He tried not to mourn the fact that there was dirt in fur again; he'd only finally managed to clean the last scraps of dirt clinging to his fur after the tunnel collapsed!

Swanbite came into view, looking entirely unamused at Hibiscuspaws suffering.

“Did you even look inside that thing? You wanna get stabbed and squashed?”

“It's not like I was gonna go in…” Hibiscuspaw muttered as he rolled back to his paws.

Swanbite had finally convinced Taipanstrike to let the two investigate instead of him for once. The only thing that had broken up the endless walls of dirt and rock had been a small tunnel entrance, low to the ground as if it had been a burrow at some point.

Hibiscuspaw crept closer, trying to discern what his mentor had meant.

The tunnel seemed to go on endlessly while its ceiling hung incredibly low, Hibiscuspaw grimaced at the sight of sharp rocks coating the bottom of it. If he strained his ears he could hear something shifting in the darkness.

“It does seem…spooky.” Hibiscuspaw relented, backing up before the darkness could blind him entirely.

“Which is why it's completely off limits. Especially to you.”

“What? But what if it's the way out!”

“Even if it was, none of us could fit through there! Do you wanna volunteer to drag Curlstar through that?” Swanbite snapped back.

Hibiscuspaw opened his mouth to retort only to be met with a face full of Swanbites paw.

“Before you keep prattling on-” Swanbite jerked his paw back as Hibiscuspaw licked it. “This isn't a ‘I don't believe in your abilities’ kinda deal ok? This is for your safety. I wouldn't let even the most experienced cats down that tunnel.”

Hibiscuspaw glanced between his mentor and the tunnel. He knew he should trust in his mentor's judgment… but he was really tired of being here. Curlstars wheezing breaths kept him awake at night, Callamoon worked herself to the brink of death every waking moment, and as each day passes Taipanstrike somehow got worse and worse.

His clanmates were unraveling before his eyes, and he could do nothing but watch.

…But Swanbite had a point. Better to watch than be too dead even to do that, right?

“...Ok, I understand.” Hibiscuspaw agreed as he tore his eyes away from the tunnel.

Swanbite blinked in surprise, clearly expecting more of a fight. “Ok. Um, that's good then. Let's see if we can scrounge up any dinner before Taipanstrike loses his nerve.”

Hibiscuspaw wrinkled his nose at the memory of Taipanstrike staring at him in wild eyed panic. “No more crows though, I don't wanna get skewered before we make it out of here.”

Swanbite chuckled to himself. “Whatever you say kit.”

They walked in a comfortable silence, ears strained for the sound of small mice skittering nearby. He wasn't able to catch anything this time, but his mentor didn't protest when he occasionally veered off path to pick a stray herb or two for Callamoon.

Hibiscuspaw could only follow helplessly as Swanbite confidently made turns that led them closer to their camp; he had no idea how the older warrior could discern directions down here.

The closer they got, the more his stomach seemed to sink. The atmosphere had grown from these to borderline suffocating in the week they'd spent down here, and the now ever persistent chill of bare leaf didn't help.

Swanbite looked back questioningly when Hibiscuspaw stopped.

“I think…I want to go to the river first.”

The older warrior studied him for a moment, softening when Hibiscuspaws gaze dropped to the ground.

“I'm not your babysitter kit, just be back before sunset.”

Hibiscuspaw watched as Swanbite walked away, trying to ignore the feeling of guilt clawing its way up his throat.

While in the tunnels the distant sound of claws scratching against rocks and the breathing of his clanmates seemed like an ever present song, the cavern was deadly silent past the sound of the river. The earth seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for disaster to finally strike.

He hadn't been here since the fire, and even then he'd quickly been shoved away and told to leave. The earth was still charred, and smoke clung stubbornly in the air.

But a different scent seemed to lurk underneath it, something familiar that he couldn't quite place.

He crept forward, trying not to gag when the smell of rot and decay joined the trail. It led him to a small hollow in the cavern's wall, a charred lump haphazardly buried.

The smell was unbearable, but his curiosity was stronger.

He went to unearth it gently. He knew the smell was familiar. But where-?

He felt feathers against his paw, something clicked into place.

A crow from ShadowClan?

The scent had been warped by the fire, but there was no mistaking it. But how did it end up here? The crows he found had no clans scent, and they were probably nowhere near ShadowClans territory at this point.

The image of Taipanstrike freaking out over his catch replayed in his mind. He prayed to whoever could see them this far down that he was wrong.

He noticed the trail of ShadowClan didn't seem to end there, the scent of cats and death mixed together and veered off into a smaller tunnel.

The stench of death got stronger as the tunnel became steeper, leading him to an even smaller cavern.

There was nothing he could see besides the dirt that had obviously been disturbed.

Fear prickled at his fur, he knew this was a stupid idea. He should just give up now and tell Swanbite what he'd found…

But what if he dragged the older warrior here and there was nothing? It could be a possibility that he was simply stressed and misunderstanding things.

He steeled himself with those thoughts, ignoring the shaking in his paws as he dug at the earth, staring at what he'd uncovered.

The vacant eyes of the ShadowClan warrior stared back.

Chapter Text

Ok straight up I was not expecting people to actually care about this, I started it impulsively because my job was horrible and awful and I just wanted to do something fun and the kindness was genuinely SO heartwarming and appreciated!! I just didn't have a chance to plan things out and started to feel like I was fumbling everything and my job got so much worse I cracked under the pressure lol :')

BUT I feel so horribly guilty leaving it on a cliffhanger so until/if I find the time to revisit this and rewrite it I just wanted to kinda explain what I had planned for it! Even if it's a really lame way to end things

-Hibiscuspaw kinda freaks out and is caught by Taipanstrike who tries to brush it off as just a unfortunate accident, he doesn't believe him ofc but is pressured into silence seeing how much Callamoon is struggling

-Things start to derail very quickly, they're running out of food and Taipanstrike is going off the deep end. He blames everything on Curlstar and insists everyone calls him Taipanstar.

-Hibiscuspaw and Swanbite start working harder to find an exit with leafbare approaching, Taipanstar accuses Swanbite of purposefully not trying and takes Hibiscuspaw himself. He takes him back to the small dark tunnel and pressures him to climb through, but it's actually a snakes nest and Hibiscuspaw is bit on the face (owie)

-Swanbite thankfully is lurking nearby and saves him, Callamoon tries very hard but the fact of the matter is she has so little resources it's hard to do anything.

-Taipanstar just completely breaks at this point, he has his own little pov chapter where he initially planted the dead crow on shadowclans territory to spark a fight, but chases two shadowclan cats into the tunnels when they catch him. They try to "talk" but things quickly escalate and Taipan kills them.

-straight up. Cannot fully remember why he wanted them in the tunnels. I was under a lot of stress lmao but it's something along the lines of his paranoia of being caught getting to the better of him and his desire to paint Curlstar as a unreliable leader, everyone else caught up in it is just a unfortunate coincidence. He's even known where the exit was the entire time, but has purposefully led everyone down the wrong paths.

-He ALSO is the one who shoves Curlstar earlier in the beginning, he purposefully knocks him into an unstable wall to cause the collapse. He planned to "find" the exit right before the worst of leaf bare hits to paint himself as a hero.

-Everything is falling apart now though and he's absolutely freaking out. Desperate to take them all down with him he attempts to create another collapse, wounding Swanbite, but only leading to his own demise.

-they manage to escape ! Curlstar either peacefully passes away or retires, I hadn't really made up my mind, Hibiscuspaw survives and decides to become a medicine cat!

-the prologue was after Hibiscuspaw earns his name, Hibiscusbloom, and is visiting StarClan right after his naming ceremony. Taipanstrike gets to him first though in the dark forest, where he monologues and howls about how he's innocent until he eventually gets told to stfu and everything's fine!

Not how I wanted to end things but I feel better about this then just straight up leaving it, everyone was genuinely so so sweet yall always made my day!! I'm sorry I couldn't thug it out until the end but I hope this is a good compromise!