skyclan

~~~

THUNDERCLAN'S TERRITORY was the most beautiful thing Violetpaw had ever seen. The thick oak trees and frosted ground created a magical landscape, and the white she-cat wondered what it'd look like covered in snow, or in full blossom during greenleaf. 

Sunbounce and Stormbird decided to circle ThunderClan's territory, and veered down to the lake first. The frigid water lapped the beach as the four cats padded over, and Violetpaw shivered, feeling exposed without the thick trees as a breeze blew by.

"This is our beach," Stormbird meowed, a little proudly. "See right there? That's the Gathering Island, and across the lake there is RiverClan. If it weren't so cloudy today, you'd be able to see right to that little strip of land their camp is on."

Sweetpaw's eyes widened with admiration. "Wow, I didn't realize."

"You're very knowledgeable," Sunbounce mewed, a little icily. "Clearly you know this area very well."

Based on his tone, Violetpaw realized - with a lurch - that they must be standing on the beach that Violetdust was murdered at. 

Oddly enough, despite having heard about it ever since she was born, it didn't feel real until she was standing with the sand beneath her paws. And all of sudden, presented with how real it was and that there truly was a murderer on loose, Violetpaw felt sick to her stomach.

To the ginger tom, Stormbird ignored him and padded on. "Come on, we should stop by SkyClan's border before returning to camp."

The fact that they were approaching the edge of ThunderClan's territory became clearly obvious as the earthy, pine scent of SkyClan grew stronger. The tension between the two Clans was clear, too, as the scents left by border patrols smelled irritated and prickly. 

Stormbird took one sniff of the place and twitched his pelt in disapproval. "We've already given them land before, that's why they're here at all," he muttered lowly. "There's no reason they should need more."

Sunbounce nodded, and before Violetpaw could process the fact that this was perhaps the first time she'd seen the ginger tom react without hostility to Stormbird, the bushes across the border rustled, and a brown tabby she-cat padded out. Behind her fanned out her patrol, each SkyClan warrior eyeing the ThunderClan cats with distrust. 

The brown tabby she-cat twitched her tail-tip coldly. "Sunbounce. Stormbird," she mewed curtly. "Did I hear you saying something about SkyClan just then?"

Sunbounce's muscles were stiff as he moved to stand in front of Violetpaw, his pelt beginning to bristle as though he were anticipating a fight. "I don't see how what we say concerns you, Ferndust."

Ferndust narrowed her eyes. "Normally I wouldn't care about the mousebrained words that come out of your mouth, but if you're talking about SkyClan, it concerns me. I thought that was rather easy to put together."

As Sunbounce's tail began to lash with agitation, Stormbird quickly stepped forward. "We're not looking for any trouble, Ferndust," he meowed coolly. "We're only showing our apprentices around."

"Oh." The corner of Ferndust's mouth twitched, a little cruelly. "Did you show them the beach, then? The place that Clanmate of yours - what was her name again? - Violetdust died?"

Sunbounce's eyes flashed at the mention of his sister, and Stormbird bowed his head a little.

Ferndust took in their reaction with a cool look, and she laughed without amusement a few heartbeats later. "So the Ghost Assassin strikes again."

Clearly, she thought this was the end of the conversation, and moved to instruct her patrol to start marking the border; however, Sunbounce called her back as though he couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth. "There is no Ghost Assassin."

Ferndust halted in her steps as if she'd been frozen, turning around slowly. "What did you say?"

"There is no Ghost Assassin," Sunbounce meowed, a little louder and firmer. "Violetdust was killed for unknown reasons, but it wasn't by some made-up cat whose first attack happened years ago. That's only an insult to her memory."

Ferndust lunged forward, so suddenly that Violetpaw flinched. However, the brown tabby stopped short of the border, her green eyes mangled with a wild sort of anger and grief. "The Ghost Assassin isn't real? Well of course he is! He killed Ashbird!"

"Ashbird slipped and fell," Sunbounce mewed instantly, as though reciting it. "It was leafbare, the paths were slippery, and she stepped wrong-"

"You expect me to believe that my best friend died because she'd stepped wrong?" Ferndust's voice was low, dangerous. Despite being by herself now - she'd sent the rest of the patrol off to mark the border - she didn't even seem a little bit afraid, fueled by anger. "Ashbird knew the territory like the patterns on her fur. She never would've stepped wrong. Claiming so is only an insult to her memory."

Sunbounce sneered. "Right. It's much more believable that a random cat killed her for absolutely no reason at all and somehow didn't leave anything behind."

"Isn't that exactly what happened with Violetdust?" Ferndust challenged. "She died mysteriously one night out of the blue. No hints."

"It's not the same at all." The ginger tom glanced at Stormbird sharply, as if to say he knew who the culprit was, but was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. 

"Come on," Stormbird meowed. "We should go."

"Oh no, so soon?" Ferndust mewed sarcastically. "What a shame."

Sunbounce rolled his eyes and snarled, but he made no verbal comeback as he pivoted sharply and stalked into the thick oak trees of ThunderClan. Violetpaw and Sweetpaw followed him quickly, both riveted from the SkyClan encounter, pestering him with questions.

"Do you think the Ghost Assassin is real?"

"Did he kill Ashbird?"

"How could he have gotten out without being spotted?"

"Was Ferndust Ashbird's best friend?"

"No, no, I don't know, and yes," Sunbounce answered all in one breath tiredly. 

"Woah." Violetpaw's eyes widened. "Ferndust knew Ashbird? That must be so cool, personally knowing a cat from one of those elder stories."

Her mentor winced. "Believe it or not, it's not actually that fun," he mewed. "Having someone you're close to die is never fun."

Violetpaw's ears folded to her head, instantly embarrassed. "I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"That's okay." Sunbounce cleared his throat. "When we get back, go find one of the older apprentices to help you get some moss. Then, after you've cleaned out the elders den, you can get some prey, alright?"

"Alright." Violetpaw shared a look with Sweetpaw, who'd been given the same instructions by Stormbird. Then, with an air of awkward silence, the four cats padded back to camp.