Adderheart stared down at the bird beneath him. Everything seemed to get worse and worse as days went on, but did he stop moving to consider anything that was going on? No. He couldn't. He had to keep going.

Even if his paw was ruined, he had to keep walking, to some degree. Unhappily plucking some feathers from the bird's figure, he took a bite of the meat beneath, finding it to taste almost stale as though it had been buried underground and saved. Maybe it had been.

His tail swished harshly as he peered around the clearing and he spotted Tawn entering the camp alongside Nova. The two had their heads tilted toward each other, murmurs quietly shared between them. The camp seemed to be waking up, with a few more cats slipping toward the center of camp.

Everyone seemed to group up into smaller sectors — it was as though groups of friends had been established and it would be impossible for him, the ex-Clanner, to fit in. A few older cats shuffled off to the side, and he noticed one of them was the tall slim silver tabby from before. The one who'd offered him herbs, he supposed; she herself had a few herbs pressed into what seemed to be wounds.

A small black-and-white striped she-cat trotted after the silver tabby, and the two of them shifted off to the side, tails swishing as they began to chatter quietly. He couldn't make out what they were saying. A tom of a sleek, sooty-toned pelt joined them, as well a pale sandy-yellow she-cat with many cobwebs plastered along her figure.

Yet, nearby, a small group gathered too. Sola and Salem were clearly situated toward the middle, with Sola rising seemingly taller than the others of the group as if to protect them. She was the oldest, it appeared. Wasari was seated with the group, as well as a small and skinny tortoiseshell with herbs littered across her pelt.

Near the entrance, a short-furred tortoiseshell sat, and a broad-shouldered tom pushed his way through the entrance. His long limbs carried him straight to the fresh-kill pile, and his dark brown pelt with white spiraling markings seemed to shine in the light of the early day. He dropped a mouse into the pile before seating himself down.

"Can everyone please come close? We have something to discuss."

Tawn's voice split the quiet murmurs of the clearing and Adderheart felt a familiar anxiety swirl within him. This is a Clan meeting. Except it's not a Clan. It's just a meeting. His ears twitched harshly as cats inched closer to her, facing the she-cat. So it won't be like Cougarstar's. It'll be different.

Nova was seated close to her mate, surveying the cats with an interested look in her gaze. She didn't seem to be the deputy, but more so an advisor to Tawn, and from what Adderheart could tell, the older group of cats would also help her at times.

They had inched a bit closer, as though to surround Tawn with cats that she knew wouldn't betray her. She offered a polite dip of her skull to them and they offered it back. The stocky tawn-furred she-cat then rose to her full height — which, while tall, was definitely not as tall as Cougarstar's or Pantherleap's, he reflected with a burst of sadness like a popped balloon filling him — and allowed her skull to dip.

...to the group?

The cats gathered around allowed their heads to bob in respectful response to her motion and she looked back to Adderheart. He shifted as her gaze landed and met his, and the pale-furred tom felt a chill run quickly down his spine.

She slightly nodded her skull to him and he, uncertainly, returned it; at this motion, he could see Nova smile for a half moment before it dissipated, and the leader allowed a small sparkle to enter her gaze before she focused back on the rest of the group.

"Thank you for gathering so quickly," she told them all with her skull momentarily lifted, looking at everyone. "I appreciate it."

Everyone murmured a "no problem" or a "you're welcome" in response

"In case you didn't know," Tawn started, "recently, there was an attack made by us on SageClan. We managed to take many lives, some of which deserved it, and, I realized, some of which didn't." She bowed her head as though in a defeated manner; in that despite the victory that they had scored, it felt like a loss.

"Who?" A cat spoke up from the crowd, and whoever it was seemed easily to dissipate into the crowd.

"A couple of them didn't follow Cougarstar's rules and were caught in the crossfire of his idiocy," she stated. Her words oozed with eloquence as she spoke, tail swishing. "And I know that a cat here has managed to get away."

Within a second, a few gazes turned back on him and he wanted to cry and vomit at the same time. Stop looking at me! I didn't do anything wrong! It felt like everyone was judging him for being a Clan cat, it felt like everyone was upset with him because he just followed Cougarstar's ways.

I tried! I tried! He tried to conceal the frustrations and worries that were now popping up far too quickly for him to even try to keep in check. It was as though the cold wind from leaf-bare's grasp was finally infecting him and causing all to fall apart. When it had been greenleaf, nothing had been wrong.

Leaf-fall had ruined it all.

His expression dropped and he kneaded his good paw into the ground beneath him for a moment, swallowing anxiously. It seemed as though they were looking at him for far longer than they really were; staring, burning holes into his pale pelt.

And he couldn't patch them up, and he couldn't help at all. He was all alone, stranded on an island where everyone could view him for their own entertainment. His tail swished harshly, and he bit down on his tongue, watching.

"Even if by our help, a warrior from that Clan who follows and holds none of Cougarstar's belief is with us. He's just like Nova and me; he formerly had a mate — my brother, actually — in SageClan, which was not allowed, yet his mate didn't make it out of the battle."

The group went silent and bowed their heads, and the tom couldn't help but try to fight off the few tears that now bubbled up in his eyes. He didn't want to think about Pantherleap but now everywhere he turned, the warrior was settled. In the corners of his skull, buried in thoughts in motions... he was everywhere but nowhere. He was gone. And Adderheart was alone.

Tawn lifted her skull after a moment. "He is injured and unable to care for himself."

A light murmur swept through the camp, and most of it was tinged with pity. Though some were clearly touched with concern, and a few gazes flitted back to him. It was clear now, and a new wave of anxiety surfaced. Its frothy edges, infected by light nervousness, quickly consumed him and he shifted as though their eyes were cutting holes in his body.

It was just like earlier, yet escalated to a harsher degree, in that now he was a piece of fabric. Anything could break him, and these cats simply looking his way caused cracks and his edges to fray. Any sort of defense that he had managed to build up was simply obliterated.

Shivering, like the cold air around him was only adding to the problems that he couldn't stop from growing and growing, the tom peered over to the she-cat as she cast her eyes back to him.

"And after consideration, I've decided I think I would like him to stay. However, I would like to know everyone else's thoughts, so please speak up now." Her gaze soon enough traveled the camp, resting upon certain members of the group with light sparks of interest flitting within her dark golden.

Wasari piped up, "I spoke to him earlier, he's a bit weird, but I think he could stay."

A snicker ran through the crowd, yet a creamy-pelted she-cat sent the classic brown tabby a sharp glare. He shifted back and seemed to knock into a smaller she-cat beside him, whose lip curled.

Brief relief swarmed him. Cats actually liked him? His eyes quickly swept around the area and he seemed to realize as quickly as the relief disappeared that he hardly knew any of these cats. Those that had spoken up, so far, only spoke up because they'd talked to him. Some of the others, though, were injured from what his Clan had done. Do they blame me?

Sola lifted her tail. "He was around when Salem and I were taken. I don't believe he did much, Cougarstar was the main instigator." She cast her eyes to Salem.

The black-furred tom nodded, his eyes flitting back to Adderheart. "I trust him. He doesn't seem to be able to do much harm anyways, I doubt he could harm the group."

A white tom with leopard markings nodded in agreement. "I think Adderheart will be a fine addition," he rumbled.

Sparks of shock ran swiftly through his figure. How does he know my name? The pale-furred tom looked to him and found that he looked incredibly similar to Nova. Are they related? Did she speak to him? Fear shivered its way down his spine.

Have they all been gossiping about me? His dark gray gaze flitted around the clearing as though he expected cats to suddenly hop up and say his name. As though he expected them to suddenly change their minds... as though they were all to turn on him, just as SageClan had done when he had made one tiny mistake.

It seemed so far away; now he was with the rogues that his mentor had been killed by, that countless members of SageClan had been killed by. Pantherleap was killed by them split his thoughts and he rocked in his spot, brows knitting, and a few cats cast him confused gazes. Panic sprung up further, and he swallowed through a tightening throat.

The small and skinny tortoiseshell offered a confused look to Wasari, who she was sitting with. "How do we know he's not going to be exactly like Cougarstar?"

"He won't," Nova spoke loud, her voice clear as she peered to the shiny-gazed she-cat. "Emesan, he will pull his weight once he's better. He doesn't deserve life back in SageClan. It would be a ruinous society to send him back to."

"How do we know?" A thin white she-cat commented, peering to the smaller cat.

"Faevyli," Aelous interrupted, "I know you're her trainer, but you don't have to agree with her because of that."

"I'm not," the she-cat commented, "thanks for asking, though; I just think it's idiotic of us to let this tom in. He needs help but we cannot offer that."

"Why not?" The tall silver tabby commented from before, her deep blue eyes flashing to meet Faevyli's.

"Because we have our own group to care for," she answered, voice as sharp as an edge of glass. "We need to rebuild our own resources before we let any former Clanners in."

"You say 'we' as though he is not already included in that," Nova pointed out, "he's already being helped and 'using up' our resources. We pool our prey and minimal herbs, and if he needs it, why not help?"

"Because he was part of SageClan," Emesan muttered, "and he'll just follow their ways."

"Were you not listening?" The silver tabby mewed sharply, "his mate was Pantherleap. He would have no reason to follow their ways. Our help probably means everything to him."

It did. He was glad that there were cats willing to help, but he felt torn. SageClan was where his mate was, and if he were to ever want to go back, could he? Would these cats keep him confined here? What if I wanted to leave?

That caused pain to rise. The very thought of moving now seemed to allow a sharp ache to rise within any portion of his body. It hurt every part of him as though his paw's pain transferred to everywhere else. He knew other parts hurt, too.

Like his heart, but that was just something different altogether.

Emesan had gone silent, and her tail had wrapped irritably over her paws.

"...deserve it," she snapped quietly to her group. Said group consisted of Wasari, Salem, and Sola, though, and the latter offered her a glare. "What?" She said innocently.

"You're being rude," clarified Sola, "he's done nothing wrong. Because he's from a Clan which you don't like, suddenly you hate him? You don't even know him."

"And neither do none of you," Faevyli huffed, "I'm confused, I thought we were for the group, not for random Clanners who happened to be caught in the wrong place at the right time. We wouldn't do this for anyone else. Just because he had a tom as a mate doesn't mean anything."

"In case you weren't listening, his mate was Tawn's brother," Nova stated, voice controlled and powerful. She lifted her skull as she peered down to Faevyli, and the thin white she-cat looked right back up at her.

"I'm not meaning to be disrespectful," Faevyli stated, a dismissive flicker of her whiskers forming. "I just feel as though letting him in because of that is not a fair reason. After all, his mate's gone, and his mate would've also been Cougarstar's brother."

"In case you forgot," a sooty-furred tom piped up in a sharp tone, peering momentarily to the she-cat who had spoken before continuing in an equally harsh tone, "Tawn's also Cougarstar's brother, and—"

A slim pale ginger tom interrupted, "That's not good reasoning, but I do see what you mean. He is a former Clanner, but that's not why he shouldn't be allowed in. It's leaf-bare, and for all we know, Cougarstar's heir will attack us incredibly soon."

Emesan cast him an irritated look. "August, you're either on our side or not," she snapped.

Sola retorted, "There are no sides. It's just something we're trying to figure out."

The silver she-cat from earlier cast Sola a sharp look. "There seem to be sides," she commented.

"Mhmm," Salem muttered, shaking his skull. The silver tabby shot him a look and the tom went silent, though he peered down to his paws with a sharp glare within his eyes.

The group went silent, save for the few mutterings of a few cats, and Nova looked around the group with her eyes sharp and almost furious. She was silent, though, and the few mutterings that had plagued the group for a little longer suddenly dissipated. Adderheart shifted uncomfortably, directing his eyes to the ground.

What if friendships split because of this? Then it'd be all my fault. And then nobody would like me, and I'd definitely have to go back to SageClan. A spark of panic lit within his dark gray eyes and he shifted swiftly in his position, his eyes wandering around the camp.

Emesan was staring at the back of Faevyli's head, trying to get the she-cat's attention. Eventually, Faevyli did peer back to her and the smaller she-cat gave an exasperated sigh. Faevyli nodded in agreement, yet Sola, who was seated nearby Emesan, glared. Salem shook his skull and Wasari did the same.

Faevyli hissed to gain Sola's attention before shaking her skull fiercely in response, and Sola's lip curled. Aelous growled a little, staring straight at Faevyli, who set her gaze back up toward the leader. Yet, along the way, it caught upon Nova's deep purple-blue eyes.

They were sharp, a simple stone cut from only one emotion. Though, what was that emotion — that was impossible to tell. Her gaze was concealed by the rubble, though it was clear she was unhappy by her strict posture. She was sitting up straight and looked down on nearby cats. From what Adderheart could tell, she was usually a lot more relaxed.

So what was to happen now? Was he allowed to stay? What if Emesan or her trainer confront me after? what if they don't talk to me? His eyes swept the group as though to ask the question to cats who were not looking at him, anxiously waiting for something to happen.

And what if more cats agree with them, but won't speak up? Or what if Bearpatch comes and attacks and takes me back to SageClan? Fear rose swifter than before, clamping tightly down on his skull. No, no, I can't go back.

His tail swished harshly around his figure as though he was hiding something at the base of his figure. Though the only thing he really wanted to hide was a growing panic as the silence stretched longer and longer. All the while, his mind made up stupid things that he couldn't even stop.

What if Emesan and August and Faevyli all team up on me and say mean things? Or what if they try to hurt me? A stone dropped in his stomach and his breathing easily was thrown off course, speeding up as though someone had pressed the gas pedal within a car. He panted suddenly, trying to gain control as his mind continued to race ahead of the fading logic in his skull.

"So?" Tawn prompted.

"Yes," Nova interrupted before anyone could speak.

Salem and Sola nodded silently, as did several other members of the group.

"Agreed," the sooty-furred tom chimed in.

Emesan said nothing, and neither did Faevyli.

Tawn's tail lifted. "Then it is settled," she stated, "Adderheart will stay with us, and you will treat him as though he has been with us this whole time. If I discover anyone doing anything that you know you're not meant to be doing, consequences will fall upon you." Her gaze snapped to Emesan. "Understood?"

The group nodded.

"Good," she said, peering around as her strict aura seemed to disappear as she offered a smile and added, "then the meeting is dismissed."