Upon entering the den, Adderheart discovered there was a cat in the warriors' den, which was to his utter disappointment. He had hoped there wouldn't be anyone inside, so he could do what he was meant to and then leave.

But StarClan curse him, that could not happen today. Of course not. Coalbelly first, now this...

Just let me be.

He prayed and hoped that the cat inside of the den wouldn't say anything. Although, he knew better than to assume that Coalbelly wouldn't be saying anything to at least her apprentice, who surely would at least slip up around Bearpatch, and then who knows where the information could go from there.

"Why do you have moss, Adderheart?"

His tail with the two white stripes whisked upon the ground as he turned to face the warrior who had spoken. It was Dustshade, a fluffy white tom. His paws, belly, and muzzle were all a dark russet.

The warrior's dark amber eyes glittered.

"I'm cleaning out the den," the pale-furred warrior answered without missing a beat.

"And why is that?"

Fox-dung. He knows I'm not nice enough to just clean out the entire den on my own.

"Assignment."

Adderheart replied simply, setting down the moss and turning to a nest with crusty, old moss. There was no need to say anything more. He took some and placed it in a smaller pile next to the new, fresh moss.

Dustshade's head tipped as he stood, continuing, "And why is that?"

Just leave me alone!

"Pantherleap and I crossed the border to investigate a rogue scent," the warrior answered, working to try and distract himself from the small forms of annoyance that was worming its way into his system.

It was easy enough. He should've understood it.

"Really? A rogue scent?" Dustshade didn't sound surprised nor angry, rather almost boredly intrigued.

Irritation bubbled hotly within him, and so Adderheart did not answer; instead, he whipped his tail, mewed a quick "Get out, you're taking up space" and began making the next nest.

Dustshade's amber eyes darkened but he did do as he was told, performing a quick exit.

Finally.

After that, Adderheart resolved to work on the nests in complete and total silence. If he dare say something or do something too loudly, then surely it would increase the chances of someone else figuring out what had actually occurred.

Briefly, while in the middle of putting some more moss back in his pile, the tom wondered how everyone else would be reacting to what had occured. He was meant to be the example, or one of them, for the Clan. He was meant to be the intelligent, quiet, hardworking warrior who never stepped out of the line, and who never would do anything without Cougarstar's permission.

Not anymore. He thought, almost miserably as he stepped back to look at what he'd done.

The majority of the nests were well-structured, with a decent chunk or two of moss surrounding a few main sticks. Some had more than others, as Adderheart had replaced the same amount of moss. If he would have done any less to the ones that had more moss, then nothing would end well. Although, he knew that it likely wasn't too big of a deal.

Well, for some of the warriors.

He knew better than to indirectly challenge another senior warrior. Pantherleap likely wouldn't be angry, though he was sure that others would be. Marigoldcry would surely throw a fit and probably report him for something he didn't do to Bearpatch - better yet, report him directly to Cougarstar. The thought caused a bubble of irritation to fill up his belly.

And still, it was unfair to the younger warriors that they didn't have as much moss as the others.

But then again, it wasn't his decision to make, and so Adderheart finished the nests.

The lean warrior quickly disposed of the older moss, deciding to press it into certain spots of the ground where cats walked the most. It wouldn't necessarily be a good thing to have crusty moss in the warrior's den, but he wasn't going to throw away... okay... moss.

He swerved to exit, though as soon as he did, a swarm of warriors brushed by him to enter their newly created nests. The first to shove in was Marigoldcry, followed rather primly by Fluffyflame, and after that, the pelts blurred together in a mix of white, gray, russet, brown, black, and patterned shades.

A thick tawny pelt paused at the entrance.

"Thank you," mewed Pantherleap, dipping his head to Adderheart, and he disappeared into the den.

The senior warrior smiled and then trotted back out into the camp, glancing at the darkening sky.

Surprisingly, it had taken nearly the whole day. A darkened blue shade quietly leaked into a pale, dim pale azure color. Soon enough, the warrior watched rather quickly as it morphed into pale peachy tones, ones that were bright and grinning among a pinkish sea.

As the pale-furred warrior approached the fresh-kill pile, he surveyed it rather quickly, for if he were too slow, then it would be darker much quicker than he had intended. And so it was a swift decision that he picked a vole at the base of the pile. He swerved and headed to sit nearby, choosing a small spot near the entrance of the camp.

He dug in rather slowly, hoping to savor the vole so he could stay up and wait until the den and the cats inside calmed down. He figured that they'd be busy with trotting around and ensuring their nests were at their best.

Voles were certainly not his favorite of the usual prey that SageClan had, but it wasn't really an issue. He'd take it over not eating any day, and besides, Milkfrost and Vixenfeather would enjoy it -

Milkfrost and Vixenfeather.

He'd practically forgotten them completely and briefly, now that they had surfaced in his mind, he wondered where they were.

Maybe they... they found a nice home among some of the rogues.

Adderheart doubted it, really. They had probably met some unfortunate fate out in the forest, hopefully not by the fault of the rogues, and as much as he wanted to help them, wherever they were, it simply would make no difference. The two she-cats willingly broke rules that Coguarstar had set down, even if it were ones that they did not agree with.

It didn't and wouldn't ever matter if the two she-cats had disagreed with the rules, because Cougarstar set them and nobody broke Cougarstar's rules. Ever. What happened to them was a prime example of why nobody ever broke the rules.

In Adderheart's mind, the cats of SageClan disagreed with Cougarstar's ruling. Or, well. No. Most cats of SageClan didn't appreciate some of Cougarstar's ruling, regarding things with the treatment of the elders he was sure. Nobody had seemed extremely positive or supporting of the leader's choice after he'd told them both to get out of the camp.

The pale-furred warrior's tail sharply flicked back and forth as he studied his prey. It looked plain, simple, calm, and compared to the warrior's mind, it was almost a parallel opposite. Ideas ran through his head, following a course that had marks from the many ideas and thoughts that had come before it.

If Milkfrost and Vixenfeather did find a place among rogues, then surely they were the ones used for the blood, since they seemed old.

It wasn't fair of him to make the assumption but he didn't care. Adderheart huffed with frustration. If only he had just investigated a little longer, he probably could've found some other clues.

Maybe it was them that had crossed the border and the blood was actually theirs.

Then where'd they go? And then why did the trail disappear?

His ears twitched as he continued to speculate, though he was sure it would end in no ideas and no leads. Though, would anyone in the Clan care about the elders?

Cougarstar clearly didn't, so why would anyone else stray from his ideals?

Because if they strayed too far, then they'd be in trouble with Cougarstar. And since nobody else was willing to step up against him, it'd be a solo act - a solo act of defiance. But in the rest of the Clan's eyes, a solo act of idiocy.

The only way change could come was through an uprising, but why was that necessary?

Nobody would find it necessary, except perhaps some of the younger warriors that were frustrated with being woken up early. Though, mainly, it wasn't like SageClanners were being treated badly. They had prey every day, and although there were hard leaf-bares, hardly anyone died from any diseases.

Coalbelly's skills were as good as they could be, and Twilightcloud certainly wasn't too far behind, considering that she was training underneath the skilled healer.

Momentarily, his train of thought directed toward the concern over the roles of toms and she-cats within the Clan, though he forced it away. That was irrelevant right now and it was useless to bring it down the path of thought.

Although it's definitely not fair, he told himself, as if cleansing himself from the thought that he'd dismissed it too quickly.

His tail flickered a little as irritation bubbled within him for a moment.

If Cougarstar was passive on a topic, would anyone care about it?

No. He knew that answer.

The cats of SageClan, even if they did not agree with it, followed Cougarstar's every opinion like an order... even Bearpatch. Now that Adderheart considered it, the heir was almost comically passive. He seemed to have no opinion on anything. Not on the elders, regarding the most recent events. And honestly, the pale-furred warrior wasn't really surprised. Why should he be? Bearpatch had never spoken out on any other topics before.

So, why change things now? Why not follow his father's every opinion? Besides, it wasn't like Cougarstar could revoke his heirship-

Wait, no. Cougarstar did what he liked - not even what he liked, what he wanted to do - without much consideration of anyone else's thoughts or ideas on it.

Then whatever Bearpatch did could be scrutinized, and in the same thread, he could lose his position for it.

His apprentice could likely be punished too and he likely didn't want Finchpaw punished.

No wonder he doesn't say anything. Although, I don't think it's just that he doesn't share his opinions. He doesn't really have any in the first place because he doesn't know how to form his own. He listens to everything Cougarstar says so he just doesn't know. He's afraid he'll lose his position.

And, well, on that thread, whatever anyone said or did could be scrutinized.

An icy claw trailed down his spine, causing the pale-furred warrior to shiver.

Then why did Pantherleap stay behind with Cougarstar after I got sent out?

He knew that he was putting himself in the direct rays of Cougarstar's anger. They're brothers. Besides Tinydust or Bearpatch, Pantherleap is the cat that knows him the best. Maybe Palewhisker, too. But why would Pantherleap do that?

Adderheart knew that Pantherleap didn't do things for fun or 'just because'. The senior warrior wasn't just that type of cat. Every action and phrase was well-planned and justified with some sort of reasoning that he believed was correct.

Just like Adderheart's own actions.

The pale-furred warrior's tail made a swift whisking movement upon the ground as he stared back down at vole. His dark gray eyes focused once more on it. Only a bite or two had been taken out of it. Despite not being very hungry, he ate the rest of it with a few quickened bites.

His gaze drifted to the sky. It was a blanket of darkness, one that concealed the warmth of day so that nobody could see it. A silvery sheen was spread upon the camp, as now the moon was hanging a tad toward the horizon, offering a sharp smile to Adderheart. Its dim light rested delicately on the the rocks and pebbles of the leader's den.

And just like that, Cougarstar swept from the den.

His tawny fur was ruffled, ears pinned to his head, and his sharpened green eyes held daggers. Tail lashing with urgency, the leader sprung from the base of the den and trotted hurriedly toward the entrance of the camp.

Why is he awake?

Almost a moment too late did Adderheart realize he'd be spotted by Cougarstar.

He's going to ask me why I'm awake. Fox-dung.

The pale-furred senior warrior rose to his paws and he slipped closely to the camp's wall. The thorns and brambles dug mercilessly into his pelt, but he couldn't risk this. He'd surely be doomed then.

Cougarstar stormed out of camp, his tail whipping a charged storm of anger as he left.

He didn't notice me... how?

Adderheart was a pale-furred warrior among dark, gloomy, gray shadows.

Among darkness, lighter colored things or cats should be easier to find. So how come he didn't see me?

Was he really that focused on leaving the camp...?

The warrior dismissed it, letting his gaze turn to the middle of camp. Almost immediately did it begin to glaze over as he was submerged momentarily back into his thoughts.

Though, as the leader's tail whisked from sight, Adderheart heard a loud, furious call, presumably from Cougarstar, echo back to him.

"Tinydust!"

All of Adderheart's senses said to go - not even to just go. All of his senses and all of his instincts said to run, to sprint, to dash after the leader and see what was wrong with the leader's mate so that she'd be out of camp. They pulled harshly on his tail and curled tightly around his legs with a strong, pulling force.

But logic tugged him back with a hiss. He couldn't go. He'd be punished far worse than just cleaning out the warrior's den for a day. He couldn't risk anything. He wouldn't only be risking being punished, but also his status in the Clan, and truthfully he found it very important and necessary that he had that sort of respectful and calm aura around him.

And so the warrior carefully extracted himself from the thorns. One still pricked into his flank, and so he turned and twisted for a moment, opening his jaws a little wider. Spotting it, he managed to pull it out.

A tiny spark of blazing hot pain lit up the pale-furred tom for a moment and he stumbled, tail lashing in an attempt to stabilize himself. The pain dulled after a few moments and he stood, glaring at the wall of the camp. Returning his dark gray eyes to the place where the thorn had been, he found that a small trickle of blood was dripping from it and staining his creamy fur.

Quickly, he drew his tongue over it, displeased at the metallic tang that swarmed his senses. Ears twitching, he lifted his head. Now the moon was edging closer and closer to the horizon, its light seemingly dulling.

A light sigh escaped Adderheart's muzzle though, quickly, he returned his expression to a simple one. If he were to attempt to get back into the warriors den, then he'd have to be silent. Or, as near to silent as he could get.

If he were to be too loud, he'd wake everyone, and then surely Cougarstar would be enraged with him - more so than how furious he likely was already. Ears twitching, Adderheart let his pawsteps grow light and soft, and he tried to quell the flickering of his tail as best as he could.

It was something that the tom did extremely frequently. Many knew that those who were nervous had little actions that they did to try and calm their nerves, like flickering their tails, unsheathing and resheathing their claws, or scenting the air every few moments.

But everyone knew that Adderheart wasn't necessarily nervous.

It was almost like something he did to refocus or recenter himself - perhaps it was to ensure he was keeping on top of everything around him. The constant movement kept him at top condition regarding his attention span.

He flicked an ear sharply and let his tail brush softly against the ground for a moment.

So, he carefully headed toward the warriors den. Adderheart slipped in, dark gray gaze sweeping the area every few moments to ensure he wasn't about to step on anyone's paws or tail.

Spotting his nest, the pale-furred warrior headed over, edging over a few more stray limbs as he settled down. Letting his tense body relax, he curled his tail around himself and laid his head on his paws.

Almost as soon as the warrior's breathing lapsed into a steady, calmed pace did he fall asleep.