The ThunderClan forest was much more compact and dense than any grove in RiverClan. Tall grasses were only accents to massive ferns, endless bracken, and sprouts of weeds. The trees were a mix of thin deciduous trees and fat oaks, with a few birches mixed in. As Smokeflood cut through, all she could feel was brambles tearing at her pelt and her wounds screaming in pain.

The sky was darker than when she had first left for the patrol, sunlight not even able to break through the thick smoky clouds. The undergrowth trembled slightly at the warm winds, but Smokeflood trampled over without thought. ThunderClan strength choked her, but she pressed on. How much more of ThunderClan territory before I'm at the ravine that separates ShadowClan from ThunderClan?

      She took a deep breath in as she ran, stopping just as she reached an uprooted oak. Her fur stood on end, fluffing up. Amid the earthy and mossy scent of the tree, there was the hot fresh scent of a cat, as well as rustling nearby. She narrowed her eyes, getting on her belly and controlling her rapid breathing to silence. She crawled forward, peeking under the tree. Picking though broad green leaves and white heads dandelions was a creamy brown tom. After quietly looking the spiky leaves over, the tom bent down to bite the plant off. A medicine cat... they could help Flurrypaw.... Smokeflood started to stand, but she crinkled her nose. How can I trust them though? They're part of ThunderClan, the clan that's been torturing our patrols and is currently invading my territory. With the thought in mind, she leaped to the top of the fallen oak, looking down on the tom, her fur fluffed out and eyes glaring down. 

       "Stop right there," Smokeflood meowed flatly.

"What in StarClan's name...," he looked up, his lip curled in annoyance. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"..what?" She tipped her head to the side slightly, her eyebrows knitting together. I'm a rival warrior on your territory-- why is he so nonchalant?

"I'm busy. I don't have time for you."

"Make time," she bounded down in a swift leap, landing with a fwump in the dead leaves that coated the floor.

"Fine. You have two heartbeats before I bite your nose off." He bared his teeth, showing saliva faintly colored with yellow. Poison. I definitely can't trust him at all. I need a ShadowClan medicine cat, not this guy.

"I need to get to ShadowClan. What's the quickest route?" He rolled his amber eyes.

"Does this look like some kind of free passage territory? This is ThunderClan territory. And, if I'm not mistaken, you're a river rat. Escaping battle, I see?" He looked her up and down. "A couple scratches, but really you must be some coward if you wouldn't fight until your last breathe for your clan. I refuse to show a coward the way." He raised his tail smugly, returning to the dandelion he had been sniffing. She dug her claws into the ground, and a rumbling echoed through. The medicine cat glanced up just in time as ground water seeped up above her head, ready to shoot him down.

"Tell me the way," she bared her teeth. The honey-brown tom took a sharp breath in, and sharply pounced away, streaking through the undergrowth and out of sight. Smokeflood let the water fall back to the earth, where it sunk back into the soil. Calling me a coward.... she looked over the dandelions he had started to pick, as well as the various leaves and daisies he had left behind.

࿈

The ravine was much further than Smokeflood had hoped. She eventually slowed to a walk, chest heaving and lungs feeling like they were on fire. The ravine must be close... she had never been in ThunderClan's territory, but she knew ShadowClan bordered it and was separated by a small gorge. It smells like moons of ThunderClan scent marks so I guess I'm nearby.....

Suddenly, a sharp, rich and woody scent hit her nose. Nothing like ThunderClan, it wasn't very earthy at all. That's the scent of... fire! She picked back into a run, skirting around a mess of brambles and skidding to a halt. The moist earth of ThunderClan dipped down into a sharp slope, a thin stream trickling in the valley. The ravine wasn't vary large, and to cross would either be climbing down, trying to find a wood elemental to create a bridge, or a massive leap. Backing up a few paces, Smokeflood charged, summoning as much strength as she could to cross in a massive jump. Her front paws made it to the other side, however, she had to pull herself the rest of the way, as her hindquarters hung off the side into the ravine.

The scent of ShadowClan was so thick she was choking on it. She flicked her ear as a droplet of rain flecked down, but as she started following her nose to the closest ShadowClan scent, more and more rain fell. It was slow at first, but quickly it had picked up to relentless sheets of rain. She took a deep breath. Maybe RiverClan will be okay then. It's raining, we'll have the upper-paw in the fight.

      "Hey! Waddya doin' on ShadowClan territory?" Smokeflood looked up quickly, hazel eyes filled with shock. A black tom came tramping trough the low, thin ferns of the territory, thin birches seeping into tall pine trees covering the landscape. The tom was all black, with ragged patchy fur and wild yellow eyes. "I'll skin you alive if'ya don't leave now!" He bared sharp, white teeth, embers starting to awaken and glimmer around him. Smokeflood felt her for rise, and her lip curled.

       "I've had a long day, a long past half-moon actually, and I don't have time for your flea-infested insults. However, I actually need ShadowClan's help at the moment so I guess I'll have to get over it for the time being. My clanmate was poisoned, and she's just a young apprentice, she can't die yet. She doesn't deserve that."

"What's wrong with RiverClan's medicine cats? Can't treat a poisoning? Out of herbs or somethin'?"

"No!" She snapped, she took a sharp breath. "We just... we got ambushed at the border and we can't get back to camp. It's... it's bad. And we need help now!" The black tom sniffed, and the embers died down around him.

       "Fine, fine. But only 'cause an idiot tries to fight in this kind of weather!" He stepped out of the shelter of a pine tree toward her, rain flattening his fur. "Lead the way." Smokeflood looked him up and down, nose crinkling.

     "What, are you some kind of medicine cat?"

     "Hm? No, no way. Don't'cha know fire elementals can burn a poison injury and stop the spread of poison? Some of my friends are around, I'll have 'em run back to camp and get Rainstep, and maybe some warriors. Sounds like we might need 'em...." He paced in a circle as he thought aloud. He scented the air, then called out, "Smolderlion!" After a moment, a large tom came from the shadows, his fur pale, creamy, off-white fur accented with deep chocolate marks on his face, legs, and tail.

"Hey, Coalpelt! Woah, who's this? She smells like RiverClan!" His pale blue eyes were wide with surprise.

"She needs my help with a poisoned kit!"

"Apprentice." Smokeflood corrected under her breath.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna to run back to wherever with her, could'ja grab Rainstep though?" Smolderlion gave a small nod.

"No problem! Make sure to leave a trail of some kind, it'll be impossible to track your scent in this rain!" He purred, picking his head up to look at the sky. Rain splattered down on his masked face, and he sputtered a laugh. "It's really coming down, holy cats!"

"Okay, okay, come on. Flurrypaw doesn't have all day!" Smokeflood pulled at the scrappy furred Coalpelt, and he followed with a wave of his shirt-furred tail.

They started running a moment later, Smokeflood renewed with energy. Jumping the ravine was a blur, as was the race through the dense forest territory. One task. One task from Mistystar: protect my clanmates. I'm not going to fail.

      By the time the reached the border, Olivestripe was pacing and muttering something, her paws coated in mud and eyes lost. Flurrypaw was still alive, thank StarClan, Murkyripple sitting at her side as she tried to shelter her from the rain. Smokeflood approached, lungs and muscles burning, Coalpelt gasping for air from the run. He took a gasp for air, then approached Flurrypaw, who was shaking.

      "Hey, Flurrypaw, right?" He crouched, and Murkyripple curled her lip.

      "What experience do you have?" She growled, her sopping wet tail sweeping close to the gray patched apprentice.

      "Oh, hey, I'm Coalpelt. I'm a fire elemental, I can stop the spread of poison."

      "I know some fire elementals can, but what kind of experience do you have with it?" She growled. Smokeflood watched, head hung as she regained a normal breathing rate, rain falling in sheets and stinging her fur as it pelted down.

       "Ah... I mean... I know how to do it so that's good enough? We can wait for Rainstep, but he might be a while--"

      "Do it. Just do it." Smokeflood growled.

      "Smokeflood, I know you think you can make decisions now that you're a warrior, but we can't just--"

      "Don't even start! I got help, and he's our only help for the time being! He's going to help Flurrypaw, because if we wait any longer she will probably die! I'm going to protect my clanmates, no matter the cost." Smokeflood barked, teeth bared and tail lashing. "Coalpelt, do it." Coalpelt sheepishly glanced between Murkyripple and Smokeflood, the two she-cats seething, but he got closer to Flurrypaw.

      "This is going to hurt... a lot. A lot, a lot." He warned. And then, he lifted a paw, flames flickering to life, some tongues licking around his fur, but not singing or smoking anything. The black ShadowClan tom took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." He whispered. And then he touched the fire to the bite on Flurrypaw before the rain could put it out. Smokeflood's pelt stood on end and her stomach flipped at the horrible, awful, deafening scream that left the small cat's mouth. It echoed around the entire clearing, ringing in the smoke she-cat's ears, sounding over the pounding rain.

//
An

In real life, burning a poison wound will only stop bleeding, not stop poison. I had to take some artist liberties and these are cats with powers soooo it's not that big of a deal in terms of realism lol. So if you get bit by a snake, use a doctor, not a lighter.

Omg the phrase holy cats is a human phrase but I'm laughing it would be like saying holy humans lol. It's so funny to me sorry if you think it's informal for warriors but like,,, I'm laughing.

Also

It's raining cats and dogs LOL AHAA.